What troubles we weave when we practice to deceive
by Robin Redbird
Summary: What do you do when a secret that you thought well hidden,is discovered? What do you do when the people that have worked with you,trusted you,find out that you have lied to them? From the very moment of meeting them? Will they ever trust you again?
1. Chapter 1

**HEY! THIS IS MY FIRST NCIS STORY. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! THESE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS WILL BE REALLY SHORT UNTIL I CAN PICK UP SOME MOMENTUM. **

**-NCIS-**

Abby stood at the table in her lab and stared at the test results that flashed on her computer screen, then shook her head in disbelief, raven colored pigtails flying. _**'This can't possibly be right.'**_ She thought to herself, stunned. _**'It was a mistake! It had to be a mistake!'**_ She thought anxiously. _**'The items were contaminated or she misread the results or she entered the information into the computer wrong or-or-or-**__**something**__** else! **__**ANYTHING**__** else!'**_ She threw a glare at the two plastic evidence bags, each holding a single carry out coffee cup, that sat on her silver table beside the computer keyboard.

It had started as such a simple thing. Just a way of passing time when there were no cases. She had done things like this many times before. Bagging and tagging many different items from around the building, from many different people, and performing different kinds of tests on the items. She didn't consider it an invasion of privacy. This was, after all, what she did. It wasn't meant t hurt anyone or really to discover any secrets.

It was just a game. Or it had been.

Now it had become so much more.

The goth, who was dressed in traditional goth garb that consisted of a black short sleeved knit top, a short black pleated skirt and black platform boots, started to franticly type on her black computer keyboard, planning on checking and rechecking the results, then rerunning the tests, then checking to see if the evidence was contaminated. She knew she would find where she went wrong. She refused to even consider the _**possibility **_that there wasn't a mistake. That the test results were correct.

Because if they were correct, that would mean that maybe one, or even two, of the men she loved and trusted more than anyone else was lying to her, and everyone else.

And had been for years.


	2. Chapter 2

Tim McGee whistled softly as he waited for the elevator to stop at the floor where Abby's lab was located. It had been a surprisingly good day, despite not having a new case and having to work on cold cases. DiNozzo had been _**slightly**_ less annoying than usual, Ziva had surprised him with a cup of his favorite coffee for giving her a lift to and from work yesterday, and surprisingly of all, he had managed to stay on Gibbs good side, which was no easy feat. And now he was on his way to see his favorite goth. Things couldn't get better than this!

The elevator stopped and Tim walked to Abby's lab, still whistling softly. He stopped, just inside the door, surprised that there was no music blaring. He searched for Abby and immediately saw that she was engrossed by whatever was on her computer, totally unaware of his presence. Tim walked quietly to stand behind her, trying to peek over her white lab coat covered shoulder to see what she was working on.

"Whatcha' doing, Abbs?" He asked, causing her to jump and spin around.

"Tim!" She exclaimed with wide hazel eyes. "You scared me!"

Tim laughed. "I can see that." He looked over her shoulder. "What have you so occupied that you didn't even hear me come in?" His grass green eyes widened when he saw that she was working on her 'pet' project. "Oooh. What are you doing this time?" He asked, trying to appear excited. "Are you doing drug test? Who? Is it Balboa's team? You haven't done them in a while."

Before she could stop him, Tim reached over and started to type, bringing up what Abby had been working on. "DNA tests? Okay. Who—" He trailed off when he saw his name flash across the computer screen. Tim got a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as he typed another command into Abby's computer. "I thought we agreed that you weren't going to run any tests on the team." He said quietly.

"Tim..."

The computer pinged as the information Tim had been waiting for came across the computer screen. Tim felt the color drain from his face and the sick feeling got worse as he read the name and results that came on the screen. He stood there for a minute before he started to type furiously on Abby's black computer keyboard, erasing the tests and the results.

"Tim." Abby said, reaching past him to stop him.

"It's a mistake!" He exclaimed, pushing her away. "You must have contaminated the evidence somehow!" He finished making sure that everything was gone from her computer and then he turned to face her. "You must have grabbed something of Gibbs and thought it was mine,Abby. That's all." He said reasonably, silently begging her to agree.

"It doesn't work like that, Tim." She said quietly. "You know that. The results would have been different if they were both Gibbs' DNA."

Tim grabbed her by the arms and shook her a little. "Then something else went wrong!" He exclaimed, panic clear in his voice. "I want you to promise me! This goes no further, do you understand me? No further! It stays between us!" He gave her another little shake. "Something like this could hurt someone if it got out! It doesn't matter that it's not true! Promise me!"

Abby felt fear strike her as she stared into Tim's wild grass green eyes. She had never been afraid of him before and, if asked, Abby would have said that she would never be afraid of him.

Because she _**knew**_ him. Tim McGee was the most decent man she had ever known. The kindest, gentlest, person she had ever met. Abby _**knew**_ him. She knew that he was uncomfortable around people he didn't know. She knew that he hated to be left behind when the rest of the team went out in the field. She knew that Gibbs was close to the whole team, but only seemed to tolerate Tim. She knew that he put up with Gibbs bad temper, Tony's snide remarks and constant put downs, Ziva's daily death threats, Ducky's ramblings and Palmer's, well, _**Palmerness, **_because the only thing that he wants, the only thing he's ever wanted, is to be a part of the team. To belong. She _**knew **_him.

Only maybe she didn't really know him at all, Abby realized. That scared her the most of all.

"Damnit, Abby!" Tim yelled. "Promise me! Please!"

"**LET HER GO!"**An angry voice roared from the doorway to the lab. "**NOW**, McGee!"

Tim let her go and found his self face to face with his furious Boss.

"What the_** hell**_ do you think you're doing?" Gibbs exploded, invading his youngest agents personal space.

Tim remained silent. He honestly didn't know what to say. He turned grass green eyes to hazel ones, pleading, for what he really didn't know.

"Answer me!" Gibbs snarled out when Tim didn't say anything.

"It's just a misunderstanding, Gibbs. Tim didn't hurt me." Abby said, prying her way in between them. "Tim would never hurt me."

Ice blue eyes swiveled from the forensic scientist to the federal agent, looking for something. Trying to figure out what was going on, before they finally settled on Tim. "Grab your gear. We have a case." The look in Gibbs cold ice blue eyes promised that this was far from over.

Tim glanced at Abby, then left the lab. The sick feeling was back, along with a bone deep fear. He had never known fear like this before. Oh, he had been afraid, of course. Who hasn't been? But this was different. The criminals he faced everyday could only kill him. Abby now had the power to totally destroy him. She could take away the life he had worked so hard for. That really and truly terrified him.

_**-NCIS-**_

**OK. HOPE THIS DOESN'T DISAPPOINT.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok. The response to this has been overwhelming. I am glad that almost everyone likes it. I would like to thank everyone who has read this even if you haven't reviewed. Special thanks go to those who reviewed: Gottahavemyncis, Junee, missyAN,sally, Maudlin Mush, and very special thanks to Debthebee77. Yes , that is the saying, only I couldn't remember it to save my life. Thanks! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own ncis.**

**NCIS**

Tim breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned back against the closed door of his apartment. It had been a tense few days and quite frankly, he was glad to be home.

"Bad day?" A lilting voice asked from the doorway of his kitchen.

Tim opened his eyes to see his chestnut –haired , doe eyed younger sister standing there with a plate of hot food and a cold drink in her hands. Tim smiled. "Bad life." He replied, pushing his self off the door and going to stand in front of his sister. "Hey, sis." He said, bending his over six foot frame down to kiss her cheek. "Thanks for coming."

Sarah looked into her brother's grass green eyes, so different from her doe colored ones, searching. "Cryptic phone calls late at night tend to make you drop everything." She said, still searching her brother's eyes.

A twinge of guilt twisted inside him when he realized he had worried his little sister. "Sorry about that."

"It's ok, Tim." She said. What she saw in her brother's face worried her. Not so much the exhaustion, although that was cause for concern, but there was an underlining fear in his eyes, on his face, that she hadn't seen there for a very long time. "I made you something for supper, Tim." She said, holding up her offerings. "Where do you want to eat?" She asked, deciding to wait for answers, knowing her brother would talk to her when he was ready. He would tell her, too. Of that she had no doubt. Tim and her were extremely close, closer than most brothers and sisters, mainly because Tim was so much older than she was, and his having raised her completely his self since he was sixteen, when he had left for college, a young Sarah in tow. There had been no protest from their flighty, absent minded artist mother or their violent, uncaring chronically unemployed step father. They had been relieved to see the back of both of them, if the truth was known.

"Oh, thanks, Sis. You didn't have to do that." Tim said, stepping around his sister and moving into his small kitchen to sit at the oak table, leaving her to follow.

"I didn't mind." Sarah said, sitting the plate of spaghetti and garlic bread in front of him and the glass of iced tea to the side. She took a seat on his right side and watched as he ate silently for a few long minutes.

"This is really good, Sarah." He said after taking a long sip of his iced tea. "Just what I needed. Thanks."

Sarah sighed. He was always so surprised when someone did something nice for him, even though he went out of his way all the time for people. She smiled affectionately at him. "It's not really a big deal , besides, I like taking care of you. I don't get to do it nearly enough." Tim had always been the strong one. The one to shoulder all the burdens. He had never needed looking after, not even as a child, according to their mother. Sarah suspected that Tim had never _been_ taken care of, that was why he was so good at standing on his two feet.

"It's not your job to take care of me, Sarah." He quietly admonished. "It's my job to take care of you."

Sarah smiled. "How about we just take care of each other?" She said, giving the reply she had given many times before in this same conversation.

Tim laughed, as she knew he would, and a burst of happiness filled her. It was not a sound that she heard very often, not a real laugh anyway. There just was not a lot in Tim's life to laugh about.

"Ok, little sister." He said, reaching over and ruffling her chestnut colored hair. "Ok." Tim picked up his fork and began to eat again.

Sarah smiled and started a rambling conversation about her classes, professors, coursework and dorm mate, while her brother finished eating.

After he was done, he got up before she could and took his dishes to the sink.

When he just stood there, unmoving, his back to her, shoulders slumped, she became even more concerned then she had been when she first saw the exhaustion etched on her brother's face and the haunted, fearful look in his grass green eyes.

"What's wrong, Tim?" Sarah asked gently after a few minutes of silence.

"Everything's falling apart, Sarah. " Tim said in an almost silent, pain filled voice. "It's all starting to unravel at the seams and I don't know what to do to stop it. I don't know if there is any way _to_ stop it."

"I…I don't understand, Tim." Sarah said, fear beginning to fill her.

Tim gave a deep, heartfelt sigh. "Abby knows, Sarah. She _knows_."

Sarah slumped back in her chair. There was only one thing that Abby could know that would cause such a fearful reaction in brother. _"HOW!"_ She breathed out.

"A game!" He said angrily. "A stupid, stupid, game." Tim brought his fist down, hard, punctuating each word."It's something she's done before. Hell, it's something we've _bo_th done before. Something, I thought , we always did together . Something I made her promise never to do to the team. Something she did anyway."

"What? What did she do, Tim?"

"She ran my DNA, Sarah!" He exclaimed , exasperated. "She ran my DNA!"

"That still doesn't explain how she knows that you're Gibbs' -" She started, confused.

"She ran it against Gibbs' DNA! She compared the two!" Tim spun around, throwing his iced tea glass against the opposite wall. "Damnit! A fucking game!

Sarah jumped up, startled. "Tim!" She exclaimed with wide, frightened eyes. She had never seen her older brother like this. He didn't use that kind of language or give into anger. Tim was always,_always_, the voice of calm, cold reason. Always.

"Shit! I'm sorry, Sarah. " Tim said, running a hand tiredly over his face. "I didn't mean to frighten you." Tim felt bad for scaring his sister, knowing that his outburst brought back memories of their brutal, violent step father.

"I know you would never hurt me,Tim." She denied swiftly, even though she had, for just a moment, been afraid of her big brother. Something she had never been before.

Tim laughed bitterly as he heard another woman he loved deny that he would hurt them. He made a promise to his self right then and there. He would be the cause of that fearful look in anyone's eyes that he cared about again.

Tim walked his kitchen closet and got out his broom and dust pan, moving to clean up the shattered glass. He gave Sarah plenty of room as he walked by, not wanting to spook her.

"I don't understand, Tim. " Sarah said after watching him sweep for a minute. "Why would she do that?"

Tim sighed as he swept the glass into the dustpan. "It was just a game, Sarah." He said picking up the dustpan and walking over to the trashcan in the corner of his kitchen and emptying it. "When we didn't have a case, Abby would walk around, observing people, picking discarded items up to run tests on." Tim put his stuff away and sat back down at the kitchen table. "You know," he said when he noticed the confused look on her beautiful face. " Coffee cups and soda cans for DNA tests and fingerprints. Sometimes she would 'find' or 'borrow' a hair brush or comb to get hair for tox screens. Sometimes she would find someone that had gotten hurt and she would be able to get a bandage or tissue to run a full blood panel."

"And you knew about this? Were a part of it?" Sarah asked incredulously. "Oh, _Tim, _why didn't you stop her?"

**NCIS**

**OK. I **SO WANTED TO CONTINUE THIS. I HAVE MORE WRITTEN BUT I AM TIRED AND HAVE TO GET UP EARLY FOR WORK TOMORROW. I AM AFRAID THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO POST AGAIN UNTIL AT LEAST THURSDAY. I WORK 12 HOUR SHIFTS(SOMETIMES 16 HOUR ONES) AND I WILL BE WIPED OUT WHEN I GET HOME.

HOPE THIS CHAPTER DOESN'T DISAPPOINT!


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok. I so lucked out and only had to work a half of shift! So I decided to go ahead and post the rest that I had written. I have got **_**so**_** many story alerts and favorites. Thanks so much!**

**Special thanks go out to: lsmcfan,Gottahavemyncis,Debthebee77, missyAn, Dee Tease, Cheether, Moonlight Hunter, and Emerald1. All you guys are so great! Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement. I really appreciate it.**

**NCIS**

**LAST TIME: **

"_And you knew about this? Were a part of it?" Sarah asked incredulously. "Oh, Tim, why didn't you just stop her?"_

Tim felt a surge of anger rush through him, not only at the situation, but at Abby, also, and her insatiable curiosity, her need to know absolutely _everything_.

"Because she _wouldn't_ stop. She didn't _see_ anything wrong with what she was doing." He ground out. "She wasn't trying to invade anyone's privacy. She wasn't trying to discover any secrets." Tim took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to let go of his anger at his friend. The only problem, though, with the anger gone, the fear was back in full force. "She wasn't trying to hurt anyone." He finished softly.

"But that's _exactly_ what she has done!" Sarah yelled, her own anger rising at the other woman's nosiness. She flung herself from the table chair and started to pace back and forth furiously.

"Yeah." Tim replied, even though Sarah's statement really didn't require an answer.

Sarah heard a wealth of bitterness in that one quietly spoken word. Hearing it, she had to wonder how many _other_ times that Abby had hurt her brother, both unintentional and intentional. Tim never talked about his work life and she had never asked, but she had her suspicions, mainly because of the things he_ didn_'t say. And because the one time she had met his team, they hadn't exactly been nice to Tim. She had feeling that was the norm, not the exception.

Sarah stopped pacing and sat back down at the kitchen table, another thought having occurred to her. "And since she was going to do it _anyway…_" She trailed off.

" I decided it was best if I was a part of it."

Sarah sighed deeply. "Oh, Tim." She said despairingly. "Did you honestly _not_ see that this was going to blow up in your face?"

Tim ran a hand agitatedly through his dirty blond hair. "I could see that this was going to blow up in my face, Sarah. What I _can't_ see is a way I could have stopped it. A way I could have stopped _her_."

Sarah bit down hard on her tongue. Because _she_ could see a way to have stopped it. To never have started it. To never have started _any_ of this. A cold feeling of dread filled her as another thought occurred to her. "Abby knowing about you and Gibbs isn't all that you're worried about, is it, Tim? It's that she's on the right path to discovering everything else."

Tim didn't say anything. He didn't have to. She could see the answer on his face.

"What happens now,Tim?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

He shook his head. "I don't know, Sarah." He sighed. "I tried to convince her that there had been some mistake. That the evidence had been contaminated or she had entered it wrong or that both samples had been from Gibbs, but she's not stupid. Abby knows that there was no mistake and even though I erased the results from her computer and begged her to leave it alone, " he grimaced when the memory of the argument in Abby's lab and Gibbs sudden appearance flashed across his mind. It would be much to hope that he would forget about it. " she is not going to let this go. I know her. We've been busy the last few days with back to back cases, but she'll keep digging. She'll go through everything with a fine tooth comb. She'll go through my medical files, my personnel files, everything she can think of, and when she does…"

"She'll discover everything else." Sarah finished for him.

He ground out another bitter,"Yeah."

"What are we going to do?" She asked when he didn't say anything else.

"If it was just about Gibbs, Sarah, I might be able to handle the fallout. May be. If I had lied just about _me._ If I was the only one that could be in trouble for all of this, then things would be different. But I won't risk you." No, he wouldn't risk Sarah. Not even for Gibbs. Not when she was the only good thing he had ever had in his life, something that wasn't a dream of a life not lived or a fantasy of what life could be.

"What are you saying, Tim?" Sarah asked fearfully.

"That you need to be prepared because ,I think our time may be done here in D.C., Sis."

**NCIS**

Abby paused at the apartment door. She knew that she shouldn't be doing this. She knew it was all kinds of wrong. She had tried to let it go; to leave it alone, as Tim wanted, but it wouldn't leave_ her_ alone. It kept nagging at her. Had she really made a mistake? Was it as simple as that? If it was that simple, then why had Tim flipped his lid like that? Was it really because Gibbs or Tim could be hurt by it? How? It just didn't make any sense to her.

Ok. She could see how some would take it. She could just _hear_ the jokes that Tony would make. But Gibbs and McGee were used to Tony. They knew how he was.

And she could already hear the whispers and see the stares and the suddenly stopped conversations when one or both of them walked into the room. People knew that Tim wasn't one of Gibbs' 'favorites'. The things people could make up with something like this, the ways that this information could be twisted…

Some people just _thrived_ on others misery.

So, yeah, Abby could see why he would be upset about a mistake like this. Only, gossip had never bothered McGee before. And there had been plenty of it. Abby wasn't blind or deaf. She knew how Tim was treated. Even though he was sensitive and very unsure of his place on the team, unsure of his place with _Gibbs_, even after seven years, the gossip and everything else had never really seemed to bother him. Tim was like rubber. Everything just seemed to bounce right off him.

Besides, the people who really mattered, wouldn't care, right? They wouldn't pay any attention to the whispers, hurtful remarks or suddenly cut off conversations. They wouldn't repeat rumors whose only purpose was to hurt two men they cared about. Not even Tony would do that. Tim knew that. Right?

Yes. He did.

Anyway, did she honestly believe that Tim McGee, her_ Timmy_, could really keep such a thing secret for over seven years? For as long as she's known him? Did she really believe that he was capable of _lying_ to everyone, all this time? Tim?

Abby shook her head, black haired pig tails flying. No. The man is the worst liar in the world. She would have seen right through him. They all would have.

But…

Tim never _actually_ lied, did he?

And…

There had been that thing with the polygraph a few years ago. That thing about his name.

She didn't know why that flashed across her mind, but it had been suspicious then and it was even more so now.

But…

Did she really want to know the truth? Did she really want to know that a man she loved and trusted, a man she depended on and believed in, was lying to her?

Not really.

Abby pressed the side of her face against the apartment door, her mind in turmoil.

But…

There was also this business about this being a mistake. Abby was a professional. She didn't make mistakes. Not like that.

And if she had make a mistake this big, then what did that say about her?

Abby squared her shoulders and slid Tim's spare key into the lock.

There would be no mistakes this time. She would get undeniable proof from _both_ her sources.

She would find the truth.

Whatever the truth was.

**NCIS**

**Ok. I know this last part kind of jumped around, but I was trying to keep her in character and she really jumps from topic to topic a lot on the show.**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME…**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! I want to thank everyone that has read this!

Special thanks to: Gottahavemyncis,68luvcarter, won't be the victim, cheether, JazzieG, SumNumb3rs, Moonlight Hunter,lsmcfan, shadowdweller25,crocadile1986, starjems88,afua

I am not happy with this chapter. I had an idea about how I wanted this chapter but getting it out of my mind and here changed it to something I didn't recognize.

Abby is not one of my favorite characters. I am trying to write her softer then I see her because I know that she is some people's favorite character and I don't want to offend anyone.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

-NCIS-

Abby softly closed the door behind her and moved on silent feet to the kitchen, where she could hear voices.

She stopped right outside the entrance to Tim's kitchen, pressing herself against the eggshell colored wall, to keep from being seen.

Her original plan, half-formed as it was, had been to sneak in on Tim, hopefully catching him off guard. Confront him with what she thought she knew, maybe trick him into revealing something. If that didn't work, then she could take something she _knew_ was his. A cup or glass she saw him drink out of and then discard; or maybe grab his toothbrush or comb.

This was so much better! Maybe she could hear something that would help piece some of this together. Maybe in an unguarded moment Tim would let something drop.

Why she thought that she had no idea. Something was just telling her that this was important.

"What are we going to do?" Abby heard a vaguely familiar voice say.

"If it was just about Gibbs, Sarah..." Sarah. Tim's sister! Sarah must know the secret! Abby tuned back into what they were saying. "I won't risk you." Risk her? Risk her how? What did

Sarah even have to do with it? Wasn't this between Gibbs and McGee? Between Tim and the team? Abby felt anger fill her along with a deep sense of betrayal. Sarah might have known, but she's not the one who lied to all of them. Sarah didn't even know the team. They had only met once and that had not been in the best of circumstances.

Abby came out of her inner turmoil in time to catch the end of their conversation.

"That you need to be prepared, because I think that our time may be done here in D.C., Sis."

Abby gasped. What in the world? Her mind spun in disbelief. He would leave? Because she found out?

Tim jumped up and spun around, moving slightly so he was in front of Sarah, his hand automatically going to his weapon that he had forgotten he still wore. His eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in black platform boots, red and black plaid miniskirt, and black skull t-shirt.

"Abby!" He gasped out worriedly, his brilliant mind already wondering how long she had been there and how much she could have heard. He quickly replayed the whole conversation in his head. Had they said anything _too _incriminating.

Abby stalked angrily into the kitchen. "What's going on here,McGee?" She exclaimed. "What does Sarah have to do with this? Why are you leaving?"

Sarah had remained frozen in her seat until then. Sarah jumped up, her previous anger at the goth coming back full force. "What do you think you're doing? Sneaking in here, listening to private conversations!" Sarah exclaimed, coming to stand in front of the other woman.

Abby took a step back in the face of the younger woman's wrath.

"How did you even get in here anyway?"

Abby silently held up her hand, letting Tim's spare key dangle from her fingers. Abby watched as Sarah's eyes darkened even more with anger.

Sarah went to grab the other woman but an arm went around her middle, stopping her.

"Whoa, there, Little bit." Tim said, affectionately using the nickname he'd given her when she was just a girl.

Sarah struggled hard to get away. "_**Look**_ at her,Tim!" She yelled. "Look at what she's done!" Sarah struggled even harder. "She was _**spying**_ on us,Tim!"

"I know, Sarah." Tim said, speaking softly, hoping to calm her, even though he felt anything but calm his self.

His quiet acknowledgment of Abby's actions just seemed to spurn her on even more. "This is all _**her**_ fault!" Sarah struggled even harder to get to Abby. " Because of her we have to leave!"

Brother and sister froze at Sarah's yelled statement.

"_**Shut**_ up, Sarah!" Tim hissed through gritted teeth.

Sarah closed her eyes in remorse. '_I'm sorry,Tim.'_ Sarah thought silently to her brother, knowing that she had just added fuel to an already blazing fire. _'I'm so, so, sorry.' _The anger drained out of her, leaving her slumped, defeated, in her brother's arm's.

"You can't leave!" Abby exclaimed, getting over her shock.

Sarah turned her head, glancing at her brother in fear.

Tim felt fear and panic consume him but made sure that outwardly he appeared calm and unaffected.

"You have to tell Gibbs!" She said, more sure than ever that there had been no mistake made. " We have to go to Gibbs right this_** minute!**_" She insisted, confident that she knew what was best. "We have to _**tell**_ him! We can't go another without letting him know that-"

"That what, Abby?" Tim interrupted in an icy voice, allowing a little anger to come through, knowing that Abby would expect it. "That you made a mistake by committing an _**criminal**_ act,something I have asked you _**repeatedly **_not to do, I might add, then you _**broke**_ into my apartment and eavesdropped on a private conversation between my sister and I, two more criminal acts," Tim paused for just a second, considering and dismissing possibilities on how too salvage this. "And because of that I no longer feel comfortable working with you? Is that what you want to tell him, Abby? Because that is sure what I want to tell him!"

"It's not a mistake!" Abby insisted. "I know it's not!"

"It is!" Tim insisted back, silently cursing her stubbornness.

Sarah pulled away from her brother, straightening up, mind whirling trying to figure out a way to help Tim.

A calculating look crossed her face. _'Would it work?'_ She wondered. _**'**__Maybe...' _Sarah frantically tried to think of all the possible ramifications of what they would have to do, wanting to make sure that this couldn't come back to haunt them. If she could put it just the right way...

" Let me ask you something, Abby." Sarah said haughtily, taking just a step towards the goth.

"What is one of the very first things that a new field agent has to do when he or she is hired by NCIS?" Sarah saw a confused look come over her brother's face but he didn't say anything, trusting that she knew what she was doing. "My brother had to give blood for DNA and blood typing." Sarah said when Abby didn't say anything. She saw realization cross Tim's face, along with a tiny bit of hope. "DNA for identification purposes and blood type in case he was wounded in the field. I'm assuming that it's that way for all new field agents. Would that be correct?" Sarah paused for a second but continued on without giving Abby time to answer. "That's something that would be kept in a file, like a personnel file, right?"

Abby managed to get in a nod when Sarah paused to breath.

" A personnel file that,say, a team would be in charge of?" Sarah continued. "I'm also gonna go out on a limb here and assume that medical personnel at NCIS would have access to it, also, because aren't there like annual physicals and stuff like that? And isn't Dr. Mallard listed as physician of record for all Gibbs' team?" Sarah faltered for a moment when she realized that wasn't exactly true. He wasn't Tim's physician of record. There was no way Tim would allow _that_. "Don't you think that if there was anything..._**hinky...**_going on," Sarah continued with barely a pause," it would have been discovered a long time ago?"

"But that doesn't explain-" Abby started.

"What is it going to take for you to accept that you've made mistake?" Sarah asked exasperatedly, cutting off whatever Abby was going to say. "Does Tim have to hack into the NCIS database and _**show**_ you?"

Sarah gave Tim a pointed look. That was _**exactly**_ what she wanted him to do!

"Is that what it's going to take?" Tim asked quietly. "My word that this can not possibly be true isn't good enough, so will this be? Is this what it will take for you to finally let this go?" Tim moved past Abby into the living room and sat down at his computer. "Then let's do it."

Tim's fingers were flying over the computer keyboard with surprising speed by the time Sarah and Abby crowded around him.

Sarah glanced at Abby from her place on her brother's right side. "You wouldn't believe my brother, your _friend,_" she sneered. "when he told you that there had to have been some kind of mistake. Will you believe the truth when you see it with your own eyes?"

Tim winced. He gave his sister a quick warning glance.

Abby felt a twinge of guilt. Sarah was right. She hadn't believed her friend. She hadn't trusted him. But it was only a twinge. And it was gone as fast as it came.

It took Tim less then thirty minutes to hack into the NCIS database. "I'm in." He said even though both women were standing on either side of him and could see that.

He always seemed to state the obvious when he was nervous. He was nervous now. If this didn't work...

He gave himself a mental shake. This would work. He had to believe that.

"It'll only take me a minute to pullup the medical files, then only another minute to access them and..." There he went again. He bit his tongue until he tasted blood, to keep from rambling. He hurried up and got the information on the screen, before Abby got even more suspicious. She was suspicious enough.

"There." He said after typing a few more commands into the computer. "Here it is, Abby." Tim moved his chair back to give Abby a better look.

_**'Please let this work.'**_ Sarah prayed silently as she nibbled on her right thumbnail nervously. **_'Please, Please, let this work.'_** She shared a look with her brother. More than anything, she wanted this to work out. Not for herself, even though this help her, but for her brother. Tim had learned early not to expect much out of life, and she knew that he had never gotten much, but she knew, even if he never came right out and actually said it, even though he talked about leaving, that he wanted more time with Gibbs. Sarah knew that Tim just wasn't ready to leave yet. He knew that he would have to leave at some point, but he didn't want that point to be now. Tim wanted more time to be with Gibbs, Sarah hoped that her idea could give it to him, even if it was only just a little bit more.

She believed that her brother deserved that.

Abby stared at the computer, studying it intently. She was having a hard time believing what she was seeing. She had never actually believed that there had been a mistake. Not really. But here was her undeniable proof staring her right in the face that there _**had**_ been a mistake. She didn't know where she had made her mistake, she didn't know **_how_** she had made her mistake but made it she had. She dropped her head, her chin coming to rest on her chest. Guilt swamped her as her eyes widened in realization. That wasn't _all_ she had done. Not only had she believed that there hadn't been a mistake, she had believed that Tim had lied to her. Not only believed it, but actually accused him of it. She had invaded his privacy, not once but twice, eavesdropped on a private conversation with his sister, and refused to believe him when he had tried to tell her that she was wrong.

Just like she always did.

She had a sense of foreboding that only this time Tim wasn't going to be as forgiving as he usually was.

Abby shook her head. " Tim..." She whispered regretfully. "Sarah. I am _**so **_ sorry. So sorry."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe that." Sarah said icily while sharing a look of relief with her brother that Abby missed.

"But I _**am**_ sorry." Abby insisted.

"Please." Sarah replied, folding her arms across her chest. "Spare us."

Abby turned to Tim, big hazel eyes shining with regret.

He shook his head. "I can't deal with you right now." Tim put all the betrayal and all the hurt he had experienced because of her actions over the years in voice. He needed her to know that he couldn't forgive her as easily as he always did. Abby could have hurt his sister with this. He couldn't let this go. Not this time.

"I think it's best if you leave." Sarah said to Abby in a hard voice. "_**NOW!**_"

Abby looked at Tim. When he didn't say anything, she started to slowly walk to the apartment door, shoulders slumped, head down.

"Abby." Sarah called to her, making her way to where Abby stood, hand on the doorknob.

"I would like my brother's key, please." Sarah said, holding her hand out.

Abby clutched the key that she just then realized she still held in her hand, hazel eyes flew to grass green ones.

Tim just nodded.

Abby felt terrible. "You-You don't trust me?" She whispered painfully.

"Like you trusted me?" He said turning the question back to her.

Sarah scoffed. "After everything you've done, you expect him to _**trust**_ you?" Sarah laughed harshly. "You're lucky that he's not having you arrested!"

"Sarah!" Tim exclaimed warningly, afraid she might be overdoing it.

Sarah turned to look at her brother."What?"

Tim jerked his head toward the kitchen, silently telling her that he would handle this.

Sarah shook her head, walking into the kitchen. She was glad to get away from the other woman. Sarah was afraid that if she spent anymore time around the other woman she would say or do something she would regret.

That she felt more than a little guilt at the way she had turned everything around on the goth Sarah refused to acknowledge.

Tim walked to where Abby stood at the door, and took his spare key from her hand.

"Timmy..."

Tim held up a hand. "You knew how I felt about the 'game', Abby." He said, cutting off whatever she was about to say. "Even though I 'played' it with you, I never made any secret about what I thought. I went along with it because-" He faltered. "Because I knew you really didn't mean any harm." Tim finished, hoping she hadn't noticed his little lie. That wasn't the only reason why he went along with it. "I didn't ask you to stop, even though I wanted you to. The _**only**_ thing I asked of you is to not play the 'game' with the team." Tim shook his head. "And yet you did it anyway." Tim pressed his lips together. "But you didn't stop there." He shook his head. "No, not you. You had to do what you always do. You bulldozed your way in where you had no business being and where you certainly wasn't wanted, uncaring of the consequences!" He exclaimed. "Well, these are the consequences, Abby! I don't trust you! And it will be a long time before I do again!" The anger was clear in his voice. "If ever."

Abby searched his furious grass green eyes. She started to cry softly when she saw no give in his eyes. She didn't say anything as she slowly opened the apartment door and quietly left him standing there.

Tim watched her leave, guilt consuming him. Even after all the times and all the ways Abby had hurt him he still felt bad for hurting her.

But he hadn't lied. She had done everything he said she did. He hadn't lied about not trusting her, either. He _**didn't**_ trust her. He didn't trust that she would let this go. He didn't trust that she wouldn't do something like this again. He didn't trust that she wouldn't keep digging until she found the truth.

No, he didn't trust Abby. And he never would. He never really had.

"She's gone?" Sarah asked from behind him.

"Yeah." He said morosely.

"Do you think it worked?" She asked hesitantly.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"I'm sorry, Tim." She said after a moment of watching her brother stare at the door in defeat. "I didn't see anything else to do. Maybe this will make her leave it alone." She said hopefully.

Tim just shrugged.

"I was just trying to help,Tim." Sarah said to his back. "I know that you're not ready to leave yet. I hoped that tricking her would buy you some more time with him."

Tim turned around to face her. "I still think we should leave."

Sarah looked at her brother in surprise. She thought that he would jump at this chance. "Are you sure?" Tim had always been adamant before about not leaving, even though they had been here seven years now and they had only planned to stay here two or three. "Don't you want more time?"

"More time won't change things, Sarah." He whispered, the despair evident in his voice, clear in his grass green eyes. "More time won't make him accept me! More time won't make him proud of me! More time won't make me good enough!" He exclaimed bitterly. "More time won't make me good enough to be a member of his team! More time won't make me good enough to be a part of his family!" His voice got quiet again. "More time won't make me good enough to be his son."

NCIS

Well, there it is!


	6. Chapter 6

SPECAIL THANKS TO:extraordinary geek, 68luvcarter,Gottahavemyncis,lsmcfan. Mysteryfan15, keleth,Maudlin Mush,Killerbee6, Moonlight Hunter,starjems88,crocadile1986

FOR ALL THEIR REVIEWS!

I must say that I don't think I would get as much without all the nice sentiments that I have gotten. I just can't stand the thought of disappointing anyone!

As for the dog. I so totally forgot about him and will write him in the this chapter or the next. Sorry.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!

**-NCIS-**

Sarah woke up the next morning after a night of restless slumber, her sleep haunted by vague, half- formed nightmares. She had woken up a few times during the night, Tim always there to comfort her, the long ago memories of that day still as fresh as they had been the day after it had happened. Sarah sighed wearily and silently cursed Abby for bringing it all back to her.

A sense of foreboding filled her when the smell of coffee making and pancakes and bacon cooking reached her. She knew without checking that the pancakes would be blueberry, the coffee Colombian, the bacon crisp, and that on the table, already waiting, would be a jug of her favorite fruit juice and a bottle of her favorite flavored creamer. She knew this because her brother had made this exact same breakfast many times for her over the years.

It was his 'I'm sorry but everything is about to change breakfast.'

Tim had talked last night about leaving but she hadn't believed he actually would. He loved NCIS. He loved working for his father, even though Gibbs didn't appreciate what he had in Tim.

Sarah threw the blue patterned sheet and comforter back and padded on bare feet into the living room, past the knee- high tan airbed that her brother always slept on when she stayed over, and into the kitchen.

Tim stood at the stove, already dressed in a light gray suit, white shirt, and gray and blue tie. He turned with the last of the food when he heard her and approached the table, putting the red and brown platter down in the middle of the table.

"Morning, Little Bit." He said sitting down in his place at the head of the table while she sat down in the chair on his right.

"Morning, Tim." Sarah said quietly, serving herself pancakes and bacon while Tim filled her red and brown mug with coffee.

Tim studied his sister as she put her red napkin across her pink satin, pajama- clad lap and poured flavored creamer into her coffee. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. His anger at Abby flared again when he saw what her meddling had done to his sister.

Sarah took a sip of her coffee and watched her brother watch her, his sleepless night evident in his wearied expression and the bags under his eyes. Sarah cut her pancakes in silence and poured blueberry syrup over them in silence, knowing her brother would tell her what was on his mind when he was ready.

Tim quietly served his own breakfast, watching his sister eat from the corner of his eye. The brother and sister ate their breakfast in silence, each watching the other, Sarah waiting for her brother to tell her what was on his mind. Tim organizing his thoughts so he could lay out the his plan in simple, complete and concise words so that there was no chance of there being a misunderstanding.

"So, are we still going to..." Sarah trailed off. " Well, you know." She finished lamely, picking up her fruit juice and taking a sip.

Tim settled back in his chair. "Yes, I still think it's best we leave."

Sarah nodded. "How is this going to work?"

" We'll use Abby's actions to our advantage." He stated simply.

Sarah raised a well- groomed eyebrow, pushing her messy, dark brown hair behind one ear.

"I'll turn in my resignation today, as soon as I get to work." Tim explained, his brilliant mind already having worked out a perfect plan. "I'll cite as my reason, without going into detail, that Abby invaded my privacy and I know longer feel comfortable working with her."

Sarah could see that putting the blame on Abby didn't sit well with Tim, even though she _**was**_ to blame.

"I'll tell Director Vance that I don't want to get her into any trouble, I just want to leave." Tim poured him some more coffee. "I'll have to work out a notice but that shouldn't take long, besides it will give us time to plan out where we want to go next."

"And you don't already have a plan worked out about where to go next?" She asked slyly, knowing her brother had contingency plans for just such an occurrence as this.

Tim smiled guiltily. "I have an emergency plan worked out, Sarah, but we're not running from anything."

That same dark brown eyebrow went up again.

"Well, we aren't, Sis. Not really." Tim denied. "We're not running from anyone here. We're not going to have to hide from anyone here. We're just...leaving. Something we should have done years ago."

Sarah nodded.

They lapsed into silence for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Sarah started to pick nervously at her napkin.

"What's wrong, Little Bit?"

"What if-What if Abby doesn't stop,Tim?" She asked worriedly. "What if she keeps on? What if she was just playing us last night? What if she goes to Gibbs with what she knows? What will you do?"

Tim froze, cup halfway to his mouth. "I will..." he paused, sitting his cup carefully down beside his empty plate. "cross that bridge when I come to it." He finished, unwilling to tell his sister that he planned to bald -face lie to the people that trusted him, and give her something else to feel guilty about.

He sighed tiredly and ran a hand wearily down his face. It had been so simple at first. Just a little white lie. Everyone lied about there age, for many different reasons. He had lied about his age, not to get into clubs or be able to buy alcohol, but to simply get a job. A job so that he could afford to pay the rent on the crappy apartment he had to get so that he could take care of Sarah. MIT paid for his classes, but there was nothing for rent or utilities. It had been fairly easy to _**change**_ the date on his identification paperwork so that he could be a few years older. Sure, there had been a few raised eyebrows, but it was just two numbers. Everything else had been correct and verifiable. Was it his fault that the only question asked MIT was if he was a freshman there? No. They should have been more thorough. Asked more questions. Or asked different ones. That was what he had thought at the time. He hadn't known, not then, that there had been no reason to lie. Nobody had looked too close at anything. No one had asked how old he was or why he wanted to work at the worst place in town. No one had asked anything. Because no one had cared.

Tim shook his head, if only it had ended with the lie that didn't have to be told. But it hadn't. After that one lie, he had found it that much easier to tell the next lie; and do everything else he had done over the years. Tim found it hard to regret some of the things he had done. Because some of those things had allowed him to save Sarah. He could never regret anything he did to keep his sister safe. But everything he had done had not been for his sister. Some of the things he had did for his self. Case in point, their life in Norfolk and Washington. It had been designed for him to get to know his father.

He had always known his father's name. He had always known that his father had been a marine, fresh out of boot camp, on his way home for his first leave. His mother had never made any secret that he had been conceived in the back of her station wagon, two hours after meeting his father in a diner where she had been a waitress at the time. Gibbs had walked away soon after the encounter and never looked back, not knowing that he left a son behind.

Or maybe he just hadn't cared.

Tim hadn't known when he'd been told this story as a child, wouldn't know until many years later, that Gibbs had met his step-mother, Shannon, on that fateful trip,also. He had always wondered what she had been like. What Kelly had been like. What Gibbs had been like. Because the man that his mother had known was not the man Tim knew. By the time Tim would meet him, bitterness had become a way of life for Gibbs. Shannon and Kelly's deaths had changed the man Gibbs had been, and while Tim knew what losing them meant to Gibbs, he'd always wondered what it would have been like to know the man his mother described. Would Tim had found it easier to talk to a kinder, more polished Gibbs? Would he had been able to trust _**that**_ Gibbs with the truth? Would _**that**_ Gibbs have even wanted to know the truth? Would _**that**_ man had wanted a son like Tim? Or would he have been disappointed in him, as _**this**_ Gibbs was? Would _**that**_ man had seen Tim as a_** son**_? Or would he had seen him as _**this **_ man did, as only an asset-utilized when needed but forgotten when not?

Sarah studied her brother as a myriad of emotions crossed his face. She could tell that he was lost in memories of the past. Was he remembering what had started all this? Was he remembering that long ago night and what she had done? Was he remembering what he had done, for her? What he had given up for her? Was he thinking about what he was still willing to give up for her? Was he wondering if she was worth everything he had to do to keep her safe? Was he wondering if she was worth all the sacrifices he had made, worth all the lies, all the deceptions? She could see the changes in Tim. She knew what lying to people who trusted him had done to him. She could see the toll that deceiving his team, his_** father**_**,** all these years had taken. This latest deception would only add to his burden.

"You know, Tim, it's not to late." Sarah said when the silence got to be too much. "You can still change your mind." She glanced at her brother, then looked quickly back down. "Maybe if we told part of the truth, the rest would remain hidden."

To his everlasting shame, for one moment, one split second of time, he actually considered it. He thought about what it would be like to tell Gibbs. To be able to say, out loud, that _**he**_ was Leroy Jethro Gibbs' son. Was Tim wrong? If Gibbs knew the truth, would he embrace Tim with love? Or was Tim right? If Gibbs found out Tim was his son, would he turn his back on Tim in disgust?

But it was only for a moment and then he came back to his senses. He looked into Sarah's doe eyes and felt his heart twist in regret when he saw that she knew what he had been thinking.

"No, Sarah." He shook his head. "I told you once-I won't risk you, not even for Gibbs."

"But maybe he won't find out the rest." She insisted stubbornly, starting to twist her napkin again.

Tim suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to give his sister a 'wake up call' to the back of her head. "Sarah." He said gently. Patiently. "If we went to Gibbs with this, it wouldn't end there. Abby would,eventually, want to know why the DNA that she ran isn't the same as the DNA in my file. Then they'll want to know why my blood type is different. After they find out that I hacked into the computer database and changed it, so that, if, for any reason, my DNA and blood type ever got compared or _**studied,**_ or anything like that, they wouldn't be able to find any connection to Gibbs..." He trailed off, leaving her to make the connection.

"Then everyone would know how far back this goes." She said in realization. "They'll know you planned it from the very beginning."

"That will lead to all knew questions. All knew searching. If they search hard enough and long enough, they will uncover the rest of it." Tim reached over and took his sister's hand. "I won't let that happen."

Sarah looked at their entwined hands and into her brother's grass green eyes. She thought again, about everything he has done for her. She thought, again, about the things he had given up, the things he was still willing to sacrifice for her. To protect her from the consequences of her crime.

"Have you ever thought that I'm not worth the sacrifices you make?" She asked suddenly. "That I might not be worth everything you give up for me? That you might have a better life, or at least an easier one if you washed your hands of me?"

Startled grass green eyes met doe ones and he was up and pulling her out of her chair before she knew what was happening.

"Don't _**ever **_say that again!" He begged her desperately. "You're worth _**everything**_ I do! You're worth _**everything**_ I have to give up!" He pulled her into a tight hug. "Do you hear me!" He said fiercely. "_**EVERYTHING!"**_

Sarah laid her chestnut head on her brother's chest. She could feel his heart racing and felt guilty for upsetting him. "You've given up so much and now you have to give up something else. It just doesn't seem fair."

Even though he denied it, she couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't a part of him that resented her for all the sacrifices he had made, the sacrifices he was still having to make.

"Hey." Tim said, pulling her away from his chest so he could look her in the face. "We agreed a long time ago about how we were going to live our lives. Nothing has changed."

But things had changed. Tim had changed. Before it had never really mattered, because he had nothing to lose. Now he had a job he loved and people he cared about. Was it really right that he give that up for her? Sarah laid her back onto Tim's chest. She didn't even have to ask. It was automatic to Tim. He would do what he had always done. Put her first. Put her welfare above everything else, even his own. Was it fair that she let him do this, again? Didn't she owe it to him to do as he had taught her? Didn't she owe it to him to stand on her own two feet and take care of her own problems?

"They're not just your problems, Sarah." Tim said and she realized with surprise that she had been speaking out loud. "They're my problems, too." He said. "I covered up a felony. I aided in the committing of a crime. I used my knowledge in computers to hack into places I had no business being and changed things that I had no business changing." He stopped for a moment and Sarah felt him press his lips to her head. "Then I falsified information, falsified DNA and BLOOD TYPE," he emphasized, "to enter a federal agency, then I used my position as a federal officer to keep covering all that up, to make sure that no new clues came up."

Sarah pulled away slightly. "But you didn't join NCIS to cover for me. You joined NCIS to be near Gibbs."

"But they won't _**see**_ it that way. Why I joined won't matter. Only what I did to join will matter. What I did after I joined."

Guilt swamped Sarah and she laid her head back down on Tim's chest, the fear that was never far from the surface, threatening to overwhelm her. She wanted her brother to tell the truth to Gibbs, because she truly believed he needed to, but only if that was the only truth that came out. She didn't really care what would happen to her if her crime came to light; but she couldn't even bare the thought that her brother could be hurt anymore than he had been already. She couldn't bare the thought that she could lose her brother to all this.


	7. Chapter 7

**SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO:Keleth, Gottahavemyncis, JazzieG, extraordinary geek,lsmcfan, Maudlin Mush,SumNumb3rs,Debthebee77,68luvcarter, Junee, JackSam, Moonlight Hunter, FOR THEIR REVIEWS!**

**Thanks to everyone who has read this!**

**This is just a short chapter today. Not much happening either.**

**New work week starts tomorrow so I won't be able to update until probably Friday.**

**DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

**-NCIS-**

Tim folded his hunter green comforter and pale green sheets in silence as he wondered uneasily what today would bring when he got to the Navy yard. He debated whether or not to go in, but eventually decided that it would be easier to run damage control if he was actually there and knew what was happening. He deflated his air bed and stored it along with the comforter and linen in the closet in his bedroom, getting his black dress shoes while he was at the closet and picking up a pair of gray dress socks on his way back to the living room.

Tim sat down in his computer chair to put his shoes on, his brilliant mind whirling with the possibilities of how his day would go, considering and discarding different scenarios, examining everything from every possible angle until he was confident that there would be no surprises.

Tim looked up as Sarah walked into the living room, fresh from the shower, dark brown hair pulled tight in a high ponytail, pretty face devoid of makeup. Her long legs were clad in dark wash jeans with strategically placed rips down them. She had opted to wear the pale pink, silk, short sleeve blouse with pearl buttons, that her brother had given her for her birthday just a few weeks ago, instead of her usual T- shirt. It had fast became a favorite of hers. The blouse went well with her light olive complexion, even though it didn't exactly go with her jeans and white sneakers. She just needed the closeness it represented to her brother today.

_**'She looks so innocent.'**_ Tim thought, smiling softly at his sister. **_'And young. So impossibly young._**' Tim's heart raced a little when he realized that she was young, having only celebrated her twentieth birthday just recently, but it twisted a little, also, when he realized she was almost grown, too. She would leave with him this time, because she trusted that he knew best and she knew he would never steer her wrong or do anything to hurt her. But what about the next time or the time after that? She had been so young when they had first started hiding-no longer a child, but still just a girl, when he had made his decision to never tell anyone their past. He had decided long ago that he couldn't ever take the chance of telling a woman everything there was to know about him, no one matter how close they became and no woman had ever made him reconsider that decision, not even Abby.

But Sarah wasn't him. She liked being around people, interacting with them. She wouldn't be content to hide behind locked doors. She would want more one day. She would want to share her life one day. One day, she'd want a husband, a family. One day someone else would be responsible for keeping her safe, for doing what was best for her. He wanted that for his sister. Because she deserved it. She deserved to be happy.

But when that day came, where would that leave him? What would he do when he was no longer needed?

He came out of his troubled thoughts to Sarah calling his name. The expression on her face told Tim that it wasn't the first time she had called him.

"Is there anything wrong,Tim?" She asked, concerned.

Tim shook his head to dispel his less than pleasant peak into the future and turned his attention to tying his shoes, so he didn't have to look at his sister.

"No, nothing's wrong."

Sarah could clearly hear the lie in his voice.

"Just..." He hesitated. "...thinking." Tim stood up and opened the desk drawer where he kept his weapon, holstering it.

"What were thinking about, Tim?" Sarah asked worriedly.

He secured his gun in place without answering, then he picked up his wallet and phone, and turned to his sister. "You ready?" He asked, putting his wallet in his back pocket and sliding his phone into the clip on his belt.

"Uh,yeah." She said, staring at her brother. "I just have to get my backpack."

Tim grunted and picked up his own backpack, sliding it onto his shoulder. "Go get it, we need to go. I don't want to be late." _**'Especially not today.'**_. He added silently.

Sarah disappeared into the bedroom and was back within seconds, carrying a bright purple backpack.

"Good." He said, walking to the door. "Let's go." He ushered her ahead of him so he could close and lock the door. "Can you still pick up Jethro from the vet's after your last class?" He asked as they walked down the stairs and out into the early morning sunshine.

"Yeah." She said as they reached the parking space that went with Tim's apartment. "I'll bring him home and make supper. Anything special you want?" Sarah opened the passenger side door and got in.

"Not really." Tim said, sliding into the driver's seat. "Just better make sure it won't be ruined if I have to work over." He warned. "I'll call if I'm going to be late or if I can't make it." Tim backed out of his parking space and pulled out of his apartment driveway, heading toward her college.

They drove in silence for a few minutes until Sarah worked up her courage to ask again, " Tim, what were you thinking back in the apartment?"

Tim was silent so long that she didn't think he was going to answer. "I was thinking about where to go to next." He said finally. "Any preferences?"

Sarah looked at her brother for a minute before answering. "No, not really." She answered, willing to let her brother put away whatever was worrying him for now. "Where do you want to go?" Sooner or later Tim would tell her what was bothering him. She'd make sure of that.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was thinking about New Mexico. See Roswell. Search for area 51." He grinned when he saw Sarah roll her eyes out of the corner of his eyes.

"Oh, come on, Tim!" She exclaimed exasperatedly. "Are you back on that again?"

"I'm telling you, life on other planets does exist." He said starting one of their favorite arguments. "We are not alone."

"And I'm telling you, if aliens existed, they wouldn't come all the way here to make circles in some farmers' fields!"

They argued back and forth good-naturedly until they parted ways at Sarah's school. Tim was in high spirits as he drove to the Navy yard, his disturbing thoughts from that morning temporarily forgotten.

His good mood plummeted again when he walked into the bullpen and saw Abby already there, waiting at his desk.

"I want to talk to you, Timmy."

Tim unholstered his sig sauer and locked it in his desk drawer, then dropped his bag under his desk. "But I don't want to talk to you, Abby." He refused to look at her as he sat down in his desk chair and turned his computer on.

"Please, Timmy. I feel really awful and I want to apologize." She said, wringing her hands.

Tim ignored her for a minute while he pulled up the office e-mail program and fired off a request for an appointment to see the Director as soon as possible.

"Please, Tim..."

Tim looked her in the eye. "I don't want to hear you say you're sorry for something we both know you're not sorry for." He said softly, well aware that there were two sets of interested ears listening to their conversation. "And I don't want to hear some lame ass excuse about why you did it. I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

"But I really am sorry!" She insisted tearfully.

Guilt swamped him but he pushed it away, knowing that this had to be done, and looked at her coldly. "Why do I have the feeling that you're only sorry about getting caught?"

A hurt look crossed Abby's face and she opened her mouth but nothing would come out. She swallowed and tried again but was interrupted by the ringing of Tim's desk phone.

"Agent McGee." Tim said picking it up.

"Agent McGee, Director Vance has a few minutes free now, if you would like to come up." The voice of the Director's assistant said.

"I'll be right there." He told her and hung up the phone. He went to push past her but Abby stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Tim..." She said pleadingly.

He flinched away from her almost violently. "Don't. O.K.? Just-_**Don't!"**_ He said not wanting to hurt anymore than he already had. He walked on without giving her a chance to say anything and went up the stairs to the Director's office.

Abby watched him go with trepidation. She could hear Sarah's voice as clearly as she would if Sarah was in the bullpen. _**'he no longer feels comfortable working with you...'**_

The elevator dinged then and the doors opened, emitting Gibbs. The second she saw him, Abby started to wail. "Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" She met him at his desk, throwing herself into his arms. "He's leaving, Gibbs!" She sobbed into his chest. "He's leaving and it's all my fault!"

Startled ice blue eyes met moss green ones, silently asking what was going on.

Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo met his boss's eyes and shrugged. He wasn't quite sure what was going on his self. All he knew was it probably had something to do with the Probie, since it was obvious to anyone who had been in the bullpen a few minutes ago that he was _**extremely**_ angry with their mistress of the dark.

"Abs." Gibbs said, trying to cut through her loud sobs. "Abs! Calm down and tell me what's wrong!"

Abby lifted her face from his brown polo shirt covered chest. "It's Timmy, Gibbs!" She said tears welling in her big hazel eyes. "He's leaving us! He's quitting NCIS!"

A pin could have been heard dropping in the silence that followed that tearful statement.

Abby started to sob again and buried her face in Gibbs chest again.

**-NCIS-**

Tim was ushered into the Director's office as soon as he walked into the reception area. He walked in and stood in front his desk until Director Vance waved him into a chair.

"What can I do for you, Agent McGee?" Leon Vance asked, seeing no reason to observe any of the normal pleasantries.

Tim leaned froward slightly, opened his mouth, prepared to say what he and Sarah talked about this morning, and..

Nothing came out! He couldn't do it. He couldn't quit. Not yet. Not like this. Not until Tim knew that there was no other way. He just wasn't ready to give up on Gibbs yet. He couldn't give up; not as long as there was hope that, one day, Gibbs might see Tim differently.


	8. Chapter 8

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS READ AND EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED! I APPRECIATE EVERYONE OF YOU!**

**DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

**-NCIS-**

Gibbs turned ice blue eyes to his other agent in the bullpen, hoping that she could shed some light on the revelation Abby had just made.

Former Mossad officer turned Special Agent Ziva David, shrugged her black, knit covered shoulders, as in the dark as the rest of them. She stood, smoothing her scoop neck top over the top of her tan cargo pants.

"Abby." Gibbs said, his voice loud in the silent bullpen. "Abby!" He barked, trying to hold onto his temper. "Tell me what the _**hell**_ is going on!" So much for holding onto his temper.

Abby stopped crying immediately, surprised. She had never heard him address her in that way before.

Worried chocolate brown eyes met concerned moss green eyes. Neither the Senior Field Agent or their Israeli Super Ninja had ever heard their team leader use that tone of voice with the forensics scientist before. Ever. Tony stood up, also, handsome in his designer blue jeans and burgundy button down shirt.

But it wasn't just that Gibbs sniped at his youngest 'daughter'. There had been something underneath the anger. Something that had been hard to describe. Was it...fear?

Tony and Ziva moved at the same time, arriving together at Gibbs side, as Abby opened her mouth to explain.

"Timmy's leaving us,Gibbs!" Abby repeated.

Gibbs sighed. "I know that, Abby!" He exclaimed. "_**Why**_ do you think he's leaving NCIS?"

"Because—Because-," She hiccuped. "Because I did something. And then I did something else and Timmy and Sarah got so mad and Timmy said he doesn't trust me and Sarah said I was lucky that Timmy didn't have me arrested and Timmy said he didn't feel comfortable working with me anymore and I tried to say I was sorry and Timmy said I was only sorry for getting caught and now he's gone upstairs to Vance's office and- and-" She stopped to take a breath. And he's leaving and it's all my fault!" She wailed and buried her head in Gibbs dark brown polo shirt covered chest, crying.

Gibbs looked at both his agents trying to process what Abby just told them. By the confused look on their faces, they were having a hard time piecing it all together.

"O.K." Tony said, arching a golden brown eyebrow. "You did something bad enough to make McGee mad enough at you to quit?" He asked, condensing the information that Abby just spewed.

A shocked silence followed, each wondering what Abby could have done that was bad enough to make McGee quit.

_**'Probie? This mad at Abby?' **_Tony thought trying to wrap his mind around this whole thing. **_'Probie doesn't get this mad. At anyone. Especially not Abby. Abby was, well, Abby.'_**

The elevator dinged then, the doors opening to reveal the medical examiner, Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, in his trademark dockers, blue oxford shirt and bow tie. Next to him stood his assistant Jimmy Palmer, wearing green scrubs and white sneakers.

Ducky felt uneasy when he came off and saw three out of four members of the MCRT standing in a shocked silence, worried looks on their faces, and their favorite goth,dressed in black cotton pants and a black knit shirt with white spiders on the front of it her feet covered in her signature black platform boots, wrapped in the gray sports coat covered arms of their team leader, sobbing her heart out.

"Whatever is the matter?" He asked, his Scottish accent more pronounced in his agitation.

The three members of the MCRT looked at each other, each not wanting to be the one to say anything, feeling as if telling someone else would make more real.

"Jethro?" Ducky prompted after a few minutes.

Jimmy Palmer stayed a few steps behind his boss and the MCRT, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of something that could put that look on the faces of 'Team Gibbs'. Jimmy had tried over the years to get over the uneasiness he always felt around the MCRT, especially Gibbs, but he'd been largely unsuccessful. Even though they all had been kind to him to varying degrees, even Gibbs- going so far as to help with a problem Jimmy had been having, after Jimmy had gone to Ducky and Ducky had made Gibbs aware of it.

But Gibbs anger always brought back unpleasant memories of his childhood and his mother's many loser boyfriends. Jimmy wondered if he would ever feel comfortable around the older man—well comfortable enough without Ducky acting as a buffer.

"It appears that McGee is quitting NCIS, Duck." Gibbs said in a voice devoid of expression, giving the truth as he knew it.

That statement resulted in two more shocked silences. "There must be some mistake, Agent Gibbs!" Jimmy exclaimed, forgetting his nervousness in his shock. "McGee wouldn't quit!" Jimmy just couldn't believe that his friend would quit. McGee just wasn't a quitter. Anyone who worked here knew that. If McGee was a quitter, he wouldn't have put up with Abby and the rest of the MCRT for over seven years.

"He is!" Abby insisted. "It's all my fault."

Ziva pushed her curly, jet black hair over her shoulder, her anger at the goth flaring hotly. "What did you do?" She asked through gritted teeth. Tim was her friend, her first friend, who had gone out of his way to make her feel welcome. Any time she needed help he was the first one to offer assistance, usually without being asked. But more than a friend, Tim was her _**family**_. She honestly didn't know if she could bare to come in this building everyday and Tim not be here. She would fix whatever was wrong between McGee and Abby. Her family would not be broken up.

Tony's thoughts finally caught up with him and a sick feeling came to the pit of his stomach. His Probie couldn't _**leave**_. Tony shook his golden brown head mutely. McGee wouldn't quit. This just wasn't a team. This was a family. You don't _**quit**_ family.

Gibbs looked at McGee's desk and imagined another person sitting there. A feeling he didn't recognize came over him. A feeling of ...loss? Yes. Loss. It was at that moment that Gibbs realized he would _**miss**_ McGee if he wasn't there. It had never occurred to him that he would miss McGee. When his team was taken from him, he'd missed Ziva and Tony, but hadn't really noticed that feeling for McGee. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate McGee's contribution to his team. He did. It was just that they were so..._**different.**_ They had so little in common. They came from different places, different backgrounds. He didn't know how to talk to McGee. Gibbs admired McGee's intelligence, while at the same time he was a little bit intimidated by it, too, -though he would never admit that. Gibbs didn't understand the things that McGee did. He couldn't do the things that McGee could. That made him feel... well, he wasn't sure how he felt. He wasn't jealous, he knew that. He didn't feel inferior. He just wasn't sure how he felt. Add that to the way he felt when he saw McGee in a certain light or looked at him a certain way, _**and**_ the way he had felt that time he had seen that picture of Sarah McGee, the same way he had felt when he had interviewed her when she was mixed up in one of their cases, like he had seen her somewhere before... But he knew he hadn't. He just couldn't figure out why the McGee brother and sister were so familiar to him. He couldn't explain it. And Jethro Gibbs didn't like things that couldn't be explained. All that came together to make him unable to be comfortable in McGee's presence. It made him keep a distance between him and McGee-a distance he didn't keep between him self and the others. Could he change that? Was it already too late? Could he fix what was wrong with Abby and McGee? Could he find a way to keep McGee?

"I need you to tell me _**exactly**_ what happened, Abby." He said forcefully. "Does it have something to do with the other day?" He remembered the anger he had felt when he'd walked into Abby's lab and found McGee shaking her. He hadn't had a chance to talk to the younger man about it because they had had back to back cases but Gibbs had made sure that McGee and Abby wasn't alone, even though Abby had said that McGee hadn't hurt her. Gibbs knew that it was beneath McGee to hurt a woman-usually. But he had seen the fear in his eyes that day and that fear hadn't faded since. Fear made people do things they normally wouldn't do.

Abby shrugged. "Sort of. I mean, it's just not only the other day. It's last night, too. And what I did. And what I accused him of." Abby said, her voice husky from crying. "Sarah said that they had..." Abby trailed off as she remembered exactly what Sarah had said.

Ziva quietly seethed. She did not care what words were said. All she cared about was what Abby had done that was bad enough to cause a member of her family to leave her.

"Sarah said that..." Abby stopped again, her mind going over the parts of Sarah's and Tim's conversation she had heard. There was something there. Something that bothered her. Something that Tim had said or Sarah had said. It was right there. Just out of reach...

"I do not care what Sarah McGee said!" Ziva finally exploded. "What did you _**do!**_" She hissed. She would have took a step toward the goth, but a tanned hand on her shoulder stopped her. Furious chocolate colored eyes jerked around to glare into moss colored ones.

Tony shook his head slightly, his own anger at their mistress of the dark flaring brightly, but he knew that Abby, being Abby, was likely to dig her heels in stubbornly if anyone tried to rush her.

"Today, Abby!" Gibbs barked.

Abby suddenly felt apprehensive. She didn't want to tell what she had done. Not just because Tim told her not too, either. Gibbs never spoke to her like that. He never got angry with her. He might get even angrier when he knew everything. Then there was what was bothering her. It was right at the edge of her mind...

"ABBY!" Five voices shouted unison.

And it was gone again. "What?" She said exasperatedly.

There were five unison sighs. "Oh." Abby said, trying to get her mind back on the conversation. "I-I can't tell you that." Abby bit her red lipstick covered lip. "Tim doesn't want me to talk about it."

Tony had had enough. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "What did you _**do**_, Abby!" He growled out. "Why are you and Tim fighting? Why did you say that Tim was going to Vance's office to quit?"

Abby stared at her 'big brother' with wide eyes. Tony was another man who didn't speak to her in angry tones. "I-" she started. What she was going to say she wasn't sure, but before she could say anything more a furious voice from behind stopped her, startling them all.

"Shut _**up**_, Abby!"

All of 'Team Gibbs' looked up to see Tim McGee standing at the edge of the partition leading into the bullpen.

**-NCIS-**

Tim walked absently down the steps that led to the bullpen, his mind on the disastrous meeting he'd just had with Director Vance. After he'd decided he didn't want to leave NCIS he hadn't known what to say. He couldn't say that he'd come to quit and just then changed his mind. He could just imagine how the Director would have reacted to _that_. He couldn't claim he was there because of Abby. He couldn't tell what she'd done without telling what _he'd_ done. Besides, he didn't want even the thought that he just might be Gibbs kid in anyone's brain. That left him floundering, his brilliant mind scrambling for a plausible explanation.

Unfortunately, there wasn't one forth coming. After ten minutes of silence, Vance had kicked him out of his office. As Tim left, he'd yelled that next time Tim came to his office to talk to him, he'd damn well better say something!

Tim sighed. He had a feeling that he would be getting a call from the agency psychiatrist very soon. He shook his head. He couldn't blame Vance. Tim must have looked like a complete _idiot _sitting there with his mouth hanging open with nothing coming out.

Tim left the staircase and walked toward the MCRT bullpen. It was as he passed the last partition that he heard Tony growl in a loud voice, "What did you _**do,**_ Abby?" Why are you and Tim fighting? Why did you say that Tim was going to Vance's office to quit?"

A sense of dread came over Tim. He hadn't thought, and he should have, that Abby would think he was quitting and tell everyone else. He hadn't really considered that she would tell the team that what they were fighting about. Well, he had, he just didn't think it would happen this soon. In hindsight, he should have realized that, of_** course**_, Abby would run to complain about Tim being mean to her.

A part of registered that Tony had called him 'Tim' and he couldn't remember the last time anyone besides Ducky and Abby called him by his name, but he filed it for later thought. It was probably just a set up for a joke or something similar.

Tim paused where he stood, frozen in horrified fascination. A part of him was horrified at the thought of Abby 'spilling the beans' so to speak, even if she did think it was a mistake. And another part of him _**wanted**_ her to tell. That part wanted to know what the team would say, even though she would tell them it had been a mistake, afterward. He wanted to know what they would think about him keeping this a secret, like Gibbs had kept Shannon and Kelly a secret. Tim wanted to know what they would think about him leading a double life like Tony had with Jeanne. He wanted to know what they thought about Tim being able to deceive as well as Ziva does. He wanted them to _**see **_him differently, if only for a moment. He wanted them to see him as someone other than just their computer guy, other than just a geek. He had never wanted two things at the same time as much as he did these two things.

But it was only for a moment and then he came to his senses. "Shut_** up**_, Abby!"

At any other time it would have been comical to see 'Team Gibbs' startled. But Tim didn't feel like laughing.

Gibbs pushed past Abby and stalked to where Tim stood, intending to get his answers straight from the source, the other's following to gather around Tim in a semi-circle. 

"What the hell is going on, McGee?" Gibbs roared. "Why are you quitting NCIS?"

Tim backed up a step before he could stop himself, an automatic reaction to Gibbs anger. Even after all these years, he still hadn't curbed his ingrained reaction to authority figures' anger.

Gibbs stopped when he saw that small step back. Something in that tiny gesture triggered an gut instinct. He wouldn't have even noticed anything if his attention hadn't been so totally focused on his younger agent. That he had never noticed before brought home how little attention he really paid to his youngest agent. His anger drained from him.

"Why are you quitting NCIS,McGee?" He asked in a softer tone.

Tim glared past Gibbs to Abby. "I am _**not**_ quitting!" He exclaimed.

Gibbs felt relief fill him. It wasn't to late.

Ziva felt the tension leave her body. Her family was safe.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He _**knew**_ it! You don't quit family.

Ducky was just confused. Which was not an uncommon occurrence when dealing with the MCRT.

Jimmy didn't feel any relief because he had never believed McGee was leaving in the first place.

Abby was confused. She knew what she had heard last night. "But Sarah said-" Abby started.

"I am not quitting!" Tim interrupted, hoping she wouldn't insist on talking about last night. Or at least hoping he could put it off as long as possible.

"Then why did Abby say you were?" Jimmy asked and then wished he hadn't when Tim leveled a glare his way. He swallowed heavily. "N-N-Never mind." He said nervously.

Suddenly, everyone but Jimmy started talking at once.

"Abby said that this had something to do with the fight you two had the other day." Gibbs said.

"Abby, why did you think McGee was quitting?" Ziva asked.

"I am still not sure what's happening." Ducky said. "Timothy was quitting and now he's not?"

"So, Probie," Tony said. "what did our mistress of the dark do to get you so mad?" He asked, thinking about the argument they had had before McGee had gone upstairs.

"Timmy's Gibbs' son!" Abby blurted out of nowhere.

For the second time that day the MCRT bullpen was so silent that a pin could have been heard dropping.

Abby was mentally kicking herself and wondering why she had said that out loud.

A funny look crossed Ziva's face. But it was gone before it could be identified.

Gibbs, for the first time in his life, was mentally blank. There was no thought in his mind at all.

Jimmy's mind was whirling, his thoughts each blending into the other, leaving him not knowing where one began and the other ended. He certainly was not expecting this. He bet no one was.

Ducky, of course, was even more confused then before. He just couldn't figure out what Timothy being Jethro's son had to do with Tim quitting NCIS.

Tim, even though part of him had wanted this to happen, found his self wishing that fate would be kind for once and the floor underneath him would open up and swallow him whole.

Tony, being Tony, felt that things needed to get back on a lighter footing after all the tension of Tim quitting NCIS, so he did what he always did. "O.K." He said, pursing his lips. "McGee's Gibbs son? We have the punchline. What's the joke?"

_**'THWAK!'**_ Gibbs hand connected solidly with the back of DiNozzo's golden brown head.

"Thanks, Boss!" Tony said, giving his trademark reply.

Everyone laughed. Even Gibbs smiled his signature half-smile. It wasn't a malicious thing. It was just a way of releasing tension. Of getting back on an even footing. Only Tim didn't see that. All Tim could see was people who he had never had an unkind thought about or said a cruel word about, people he considered his friends, laughing at him. A pain so sharp that it almost took his breath away pierced his chest.

Tim had wanted to know what would happen if the truth was known. He had wanted to know how they would see him. Now he knew.

He was a joke. A joke.

They not only couldn't see him as Gibbs son. They didn't even believe it was possible.

Suddenly, Tim wanted to yell, scream, shout at the top of his lungs. I am his son! I AM! But he didn't do that. Tim had never been taught that he could protest the cruelties that life and people threw at him. He had never been taught to stand up, to fight. Tim had never been taught, as he should have been, by loving parents, his true value.

So Tim said nothing. He just pushed aside his hurt and smiled at the team, and hoped that no one would notice how brittle his smile looked.

At least now he knew he had been right in not trusting anyone here. At least now he knew that he had made the right choice in keeping this all a secret from everyone, even though it had not really been meant to stay a secret this long. Tim had joined NCIS to follow in his father's footsteps, with a vague plan to work hard, make his way up the ladder to Washington. Earn his place. Make his father proud. Then tell Gibbs the truth. Only it hadn't worked out like he had planned it. And now he was glad he had never told anyone, anything. No one believed there was even a chance that he could be Gibbs son. But that could be proved. Would anyone believe that Sarah's crime was an accident? Would it even matter that she hadn't meant to do what she did? Would it matter that she had only been protecting herself? Any eveidence that would support her story was gone long ago. Now there was only her word.

Ziva's smiled fell from her face when she noticed the hurt look on Tim's face. She stepped closer to Tim, intending to talk to him but stopped when Abby started babbling.

"I mean, I thought he was. Only he's not." Abby started, talking a mile a minute. "He showed me. His blood types not even right. You know, Gibbs has that really rare type and Tim is your everyday garden variety type O. There is no way that Gibbs could be Timmy's dad. I-"

"Shut up, Abby!" Tim said harshly, not wanting her to go into details about _**how **_she knew he wasn't Gibbs son. "_**Please**_ shut up!"

Abby closed her mouth, cutting off what she had intended to say.

"I don't understand, my dear." Ducky said, confused. "Why would you think that Timothy was Jethro's son to begin with?"

Abby suddenly found her platform boots interesting, not wanting to tell them about her 'game'.

Tim hoped that she would just keep quiet.

"Abby..." Gibbs said.

"It was just a game, Gibbs! Honest!" Abby exclaimed. She went on to explain how her 'game' had worked, noticing the increasingly thunderous looks on the faces of the team.

Another silence followed after she finished. Then Gibbs turned and started toward the elevator.

"McGee! Abby! My office!" His floated back. "Now!"

Abby and Tim hurriedly followed.

The ones left watched them disappear mutely.

After the elevator doors closed, Ducky and Jimmy, by unspoken consent, left for autopsy.

When they were gone, Tony went back to his desk, unsure what to say about what Abby had just told them.

Ziva followed him, standing at the edge of his desk, not saying anything.

Tony looked up after a minute. "You have something you want to say?"

"You should not have said what you did, Tony." She said hesitantly, suddenly unsure of herself. "You should not have made a joke about it." She stopped. "I think you may have really crossed the road on this one."

Tony watched her walk the short distance to her own desk, lost in thought. The hurt look that had been on his Probie's face flashed across his mind.

Ziva was right. He had really crossed the road this time...

Tony bolted up in horrified realization. No,no, no... He was starting to think like Ziva!


	9. Chapter 9

THANKS TO: GOTTAHAVEMYNCIS, EXTRAORDINARYGEEK, JACKSAM, LSMCFAN, MYSTERYFAN15, MAUDLIN MUSH, KILLERBEE06, SUMNUMB3RS, 68LUVCARTER, CAMRY72, FINDINGHERO, CHEETHER, KELETH, MISSYAN, JAZZIEG, CROCADILE1986, STARJEMS88, DS2010, MOONLIGHT HUNTER, NY05016SC, AND HERMIONE'S SHADOW

FOR THEIR REVIEWS FOR CHAPTERS 7&8

DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!

-NCIS-

Gibbs waited until the doors had closed and the had pulled the emergency stop before he turned to glare at the other two occupants of the little silver box.

"How.." He started. "What..." He stopped again, still to furious to continue. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself so he could talk, but the more he thought about all that Abby had revealed, the angrier he became.

Tim was getting anxious. He knew that this was not a good sign. He'd never known a time when his father had ever been to mad to yell.

"Why?" Gibbs finally managed to get out, his tone cold and furious. "Please tell me why you would do this!"

"I did tell you!" She exclaimed sullenly, her pretty face tear stained, her mascara leaving a trail down her cheeks. "It was just a game!"

Gibbs scoffed. "Some game." He stalked forward, pressing her back against the elevator wall. "What would you have done if you found out information that was true! What would you have done if you found out that someone was using drugs,Abby? What would you have done if you found out that someone was drinking on the job? What would you have done then, Abby?"

"I—I would have t-t-old." She stuttered out.

"Are you sure about that?" He ground out. "Even if you could have lost your job? Even if you could be brought up on criminal charges?"

"Y—Yes?" It came out as a question.

"Oh, really?" He asked sceptically. "What if someone was on prescription pain medicine,Abby? What if it was in his file but no one else knew about it? What if someone had taken a cough medicine with alcohol in it? What would you have done then? What if you had blurted it out in front of the whole bullpen like you did with me and Tim, and it was something like I just said or a mistake?" Gibbs voice got really quiet, which was more disturbing then when he yelled. "What would you do then, Abby? You couldn't take it back. You couldn't unsay it once it's been said." Gibbs stood back to give her room, knowing his point had been made. "Do you have any idea the damage you could do with that kind of information?" Gibbs gave her a hard look. "What would you do if it was too late for damage control? What if the damage had already been done?"

Tim noticed sadly that his father didn't say anything about how she had treated him. But he hadn't expected anything different. Hoped, maybe. Expected, no.

Abby blinked. She finally understood what Tim had been trying to tell her all this time. It didn't matter what the truth was, all they would see was what they wanted to see. She turned stricken eyes to Tim. She had been so unfair to him, and not for the first time.

"Tim..." She whispered regretfully.

Tim shook his head, not wanting to get into anything with Gibbs present.

Gibbs reached and turned the elevator back on, pressing the button for the floor to Abby's lab. They rode in silence until the elevator doors opened. Tim tried to follow Abby out of the elevator, intending to take the stairs back, but Gibbs stopped him.

"I'm not done with you yet, McGee!" He barked out.

Tim stopped and let the doors close, Gibbs reaching over again to press the emergency stop.

Tim turned to face Gibbs and found him already invading his personal space.

"You want to tell me how you knew about Abby's 'game' and did nothing to stop it?"

Tim took a step back, hoping to put space between himself and the furious man. "I—I-I tried, Boss." He stuttered.

"You didn't try hard enough!"

"B—B-But I did, Boss! She just wouldn't stop! She wouldn't listen!"

Gibbs stalked forward, forcing Tim to walk backwards until his back was against the elevators closed silver doors. "Then you should have come to me!"

McGee's response surprised Gibbs. He started laughing harshly.

"Why would I come to you?" He sneered between harsh laughs. "When have I _**ever**_ came to you? For anything?"

Gibbs stepped back, shocked, at the bitterness in his tone.

"Tim,..."

Tim held a hand out, stopping him. "You know, never mind. Let's just get this over with, shall we? It's all my fault, okay.? You're right. I should have stopped Abby. It's my fault that she wouldn't listen! It's my fault that she played that blasted 'game'! It's my fault she that she broke into my apartment! It's my fault that she told the whole damn place that I was your son! It's all my fault!" Tim stopped, breathing hard.

"I accept full blame." He said after his breathing had returned to normal. "Now can we go back to work?" Tim reached sideways and pushed the emergency button in, starting the elevator and returning it to the bullpen. Tim stayed with his back to the doors until they opened, staring at Gibbs. When the doors opened he turned and walked to his desk. His hands were vibrating with anger. Anger at Abby for not keeping his mouth shut. Anger at Tony for always having to clown around. Anger at everyone for laughing. Anger at Gibbs for always blaming him for things that aren't his fault, always blaming him for others' decisions. But there was also the hurt he refused to think about here. He knew he should feel relieved, too. They were safe for now. He had a reprieve. He didn't have to leave yet. He should be happy. He got what he wanted. He finally knew how they would react to his secret. They laughed. Tim felt his heart break just a little bit more; another crack added to the ones already there. He couldn't help but wonder how many more cracks he could take, how many more cruel words that hit like fists, how many more unkind jokes that felt like a jab in the gut could he take before his already cracked heart shattered completely?

Ziva watched as Tim left the elevator and walked angrily to his desk, Gibbs following slowly behind him to his own desk. Beneath the anger she could see hurt and sadness. She felt bad because she believed that she was partly the cause of it, as they all were. Ziva wanted to give Abby a good shake and Tony something more then a head-slap for their parts in hurting her friend, but mostly she was angry at her self. She knew how sensitive he was, how deeply he felt things. She should not have laughed. She knew it was the wrong thing to do as soon as she had done it. She was just so relieved that he wasn't quitting that she hadn't really been thinking how it would look, how Tim would take it. She would give anything to be able to take it back.

Tony covertly watched his Probie's rigid back as he kicked his self for his little comment. He knew he should say something. He knew he should apologize. He just didn't know _**how**_ too. He wasn't good at anything invovling deep emotion. He just didn't have the words to tell McGee how sorry he was. He didn't have the words to tell him that he hadn't meant to hurt him, that his jokes were never designed to hurt anyone. Tony made a silent promise to make a better effort to show McGee how important he was to him—as a partner, as a friend, as a _**brother.**_ He could do better by McGee. He _**would **_ do better.

**-NCIS-**

Sarah let herself into Tim's apartment and took off Jethro's leash, putting it in the basket beside the door and shooing Jethro to his bed. She walked to the bedroom and put her bright purple backpack and black leather shoulder bag beside the bed and went to the small dresser that Tim kept for her use, taking out some clothes. Sarah changed from her dark wash jeans and pale pink, silk, short sleeve blouse with the pearl buttons into a pair of dark lavender yoga pants and a lighter lavender cotton tank top, stuffing her feet into a pair of medium brown dog slippers with black on the edge of the ears. They were another birthday present from her brother. Sarah thought that they kind of looked like Jethro, but Tim had had a fit when she'd said so. She took her long, dark brown hair out of the ponytail she had worn all day, leaving it hanging loose down her back.

Sarah walked into the kitchen, Jethro following her. After filling Jethro's food and water bowls she put on her apron, red with a brown neck, a ruffled brown hem and brown ties, she wound the ties twice around her slim waist and tied them in a bow in front. Sarah got the potatoes out of the pantry and got to work on supper. She wanted to do something nice for her brother. He'd seemed a little off this morning. Sarah hoped that showing him someone cared might make him feel a bit better. She planned his favorite meal and a quiet evening watching his favorite movie—Star Wars. Personally, Sarah hated Tim's favorite meal and his favorite movie, but she loved her brother, even if, at times, she acted like a brat, as she had when she had insulted Tim to Agent Gibbs. She'd felt awful about that for months afterward, even though she had gone immediately to her brother and confessed, earning his forgiveness.

Sarah quickly peeled the potatoes and washed them along with some carrots, slicing both into big chunks. She put them around the roast she had already washed and put into a pan, adding seasoning. She slipped the glass dish into the already pre-heated oven. Next, she got out flour, spices and a can of cherry pie filling. She rolled out the pie crust and added the cherry filling, putting the pie to bake in the oven beside their supper. She left the food to cook and went to the bedroom closet to get Tim's airbed out and inflated it beside his big, king-size bed, so that it would be ready for Tim to stretch out on and watch the movie. Maybe he would fall asleep early and get a good night's sleep.

Sarah sighed as she folded back Tim's hunter green comforter and pale green top sheet. She missed living with her brother, even though it had been her idea to live in the dorm. She missed the roomy two-bedroom with the big, airy rooms, that they had first lived in when they had first come from Norfolk. She truly regretted Tim giving it up, but she understood why he did it. The same reason he saved most of his money,beyond a few splurges for him and her tuition and the allowance he gave her so she didn't have to work. They weren't poor—actually Tim had amassed quite a lot, with his federal paycheck and his book royalties—but they had been once and the memory of it was still fresh—of there never being enough money. Never enough money for utilities, clothes, food—the memory of when hunger gnawed holes in their stomachs and they were so cold that they couldn't remember what warm felt like. Tim and Sarah had learned early in life that not all parents took care of their children like they were supposed to. They had learned very early that not all parents provided a safe environment for their children to grow up in. They had learned, before anything else, that not all parents loved their children.

The memories still haunt Tim, of no matter how hard he worked, and Tim had worked hard, even when Sarah was still a baby and Tim was just a boy his self, there was never enough money for everything they needed. That was why Tim saved as much as he could, why he lived in a small, four floor walk up. Because he feared it happening again.

Sarah walked into the bathroom and got out her cleaning supplies. She still cleaned her brother's apartment, even if she didn't really live with him anymore. Tim worked such long hours that he didn't have much free time, and she didn't want him spending it doing something she was more than capable of doing. Besides, Tim wasn't really a messy person and she liked doing it. He certainly did enough for her.

Sarah had finished her small amount of cleaning and was in the kitchen sitting the table when she heard her brother's key in the lock.

Sarah heard Jethro get up from his bed beside Tim's desk in the living room and go to the door so he could greet her brother when he came in. She knew something was wrong when she heard Tim push his dog away and ordered him in a harsh voice, to go lay down. She got even more uneasy when he came into the kitchen and went straight to the cupboard over the sink without even greeting her. She became alarmed when he took out a bottle of whiskey she didn't know was there and poured him a glass.

She watched in shock as he downed it, refilled his glass, downed that and refilled his glass yet again. Tim never drank hard liquor—never drank more than the occasional glass of wine, refused to even take sleeping pills or prescription pain pills—Tim didn't like anything that took away his control. What would happen if Sarah needed him and his mind was clouded with alcohol or medication?

Sarah walked a little closer to her brother, worried for him. "Tim?" She asked hesitantly. "Is there—what's wrong,Tim?" Tim swung around and Sarah's fear grew even more when she saw the utter devastation on her brother's face.

"Please tell me what's wrong,Tim." She said gently, as she would to a wounded animal.

For a moment a look of such intense hurt and sadness came across his face that made her heart ache, then his face cleared and he smiled. Or at least he tried to. It was more of a grimace then a smile.

"There's nothing wrong,Sarah."

She gave him a look that clearly said she knew better.

Tim sighed and ran his free hand through his dirty blond hair. He took a long drink of the whiskey, welcoming the fiery trail it made down his throat to his empty stomach; he hadn't been able to eat lunch, every bite he took tasted like sawdust. "I'm—_**tired,**_ Sarah." He finally said when Sarah kept looking at him expectantly. "That's all. I'm just tired."

Sarah had a feeling that the kind of tired that he was talking about wouldn't be cured with a good night's sleep.

Tim finished his whiskey and poured a fourth glass. He was fast on the road to getting drunk, but he didn't care. He wanted to get drunk. He wanted to cloud his mind. He hoped it would take his pain away—just for tonight. Tomorrow he would be strong. Tomorrow he would be able to handle it, but tonight he just wanted to forget. There was nothing wrong with that, right? To want a little peace?

"Please tell me what's wrong. _**Please.**_" Sarah begged. "_**Please.**_" She watched him guzzle his glass of whiskey and reach to pour another. She hurried over to him and put her hand on his arm to stop him. "You're scaring me, Tim." She told him, the fear evident in her voice.

Tim let his chin drop to his chest, sitting the whiskey bottle back on the counter. " I went up to Vance's office almost as soon as I got there, but I couldn't quit. I don't know why. I just couldn't. When I got back down, everyone was there and Abby—Abby _**told**_, Sarah. She blurted it out in front of everyone. She told them that it was a mistake almost right after, but for a moment..." He trailed off.

Sarah was shocked. "What—What happened, Tim?"

Tim angrily shrugged off her hand and picked up the bottle to pour him so more whiskey. "They laughed. All of them. They _**laughed.**_" He swallowed the drink down without stopping. "They all _**laughed**_ at me."

Sarah's heart ached. She now understood why her brother looked so broken.

"I wondered what it would be like if they knew the truth. Part of me wanted them to know." He stopped. "I just wanted them to look at me differently, if only for a minute." He said, finally after a few moments of silence.

Sarah nodded. "You wanted them to see you in another way. You wanted them to see that you could keep secrets hidden as well as Gibbs does. You wanted them to see that you could deceive as efficiently as Ziva does. You wanted them to see that you could act as convincingly as Tony does." Sarah's voice lowered. "You wanted them to see that you're worthy of Gibbs' respect. You wanted them to see that you're worthy of being on Gibbs team. You wanted them to see that you're worthy of being Leroy Jethro Gibbs son." She finished in a small voice. "And they didn't see it."

Tim laughed bitterly. "They not only didn't see, Sarah." He said after a few minutes. "They laughed at even the _**idea**_ of it!" He finished painfully. "Then Gibbs-," Tim stopped and swallowed thickly. "He _**blamed **_me for letting Abby play her 'game'."

Sarah could see that that was the most painful part. Gibbs blaming Tim just twisted the knife they all had stabbed him with. "Oh, Tim..." Sarah said heart-brokenly, wondering how anyone could be so cruel to such a man as her brother, especially people who were supposed to be his friends.

Tim turned away from his sister, not wanting his little sister to see his eyes glistening with tears that he refused to let fall. "Everyday I watch them." Tim cleared his throat. "Everyday I watch how they are with each other. How they look out for each other, how—how" He stopped, blinking back tears again. "How they take care of each other. They're a family. Gibbs' family. Tony's his," he swallowed thickly. "His son. All you have to do is look past all Tony's clowning to see that they are just alike. Gibbs allowed Ziva in almost from the moment she got here. Abby's been his daughter from the very first. Even Jimmy is family through Ducky. And Ducky—well, Ducky has been his family longer then any of them." Despite his best effort a tear slipped down his face. "I want to be a part of that so much, Sarah. To feel what it's like to be a part of his family. To have him, just _**once,**_ look at me the way he looks at them. I want, just _**once**_, for him to show _**me**_ the care he has always shown _**them.**_ I want, just_** once,**_" he stopped, his voice breaking. "for him to call _**me **_son the way he called Tony son that one time, with love and pride in his voice." He finished in barely a whisper. "I can't even _**begin**_ to tell you how much I want that."

Sorrow filled Sarah, not only for Tim, but for the team, too, because they couldn't see what they had in her brother. She knew that, though Tim would never admit it, not even to his self, that he considered them his family, even though they didn't consider _**him **_ family. That's why he kept going back, despite all the harsh words, cruel jokes and unfair treatment. That's why he couldn't quit. Because they were family. And the only other family Tim has ever had—besides Sarah—was their mother and step-father, and they had treated Tim almost exactly like his team did. Tim accepted that that was just how families were.

Tim rubbed at his eyes and let out a sigh full of despair. "I'm so tired, Sarah." He said, repeating the words he had first said to her. "I' m tired of waiting for things to change, tired of hoping that things will be different. I'm tired of—of _**hoping.**_" His voice broke. "Hope _**hurts,**_ Sarah!"

She reached a hand out and squeezed his shoulder. "Tim,..."

Tim shrugged away from her violently. "Leave me alone, Sarah. Please. Just leave me alone."

Sarah watched helplessly as he walked out of the kitchen and into his bedroom. A few minutes later she heard the shower turn on, the falling water loud in the silent apartment. But it still wasn't loud enough to drown out her brother's brokenhearted sobs.

**-NCIS-**

Tony wasn't sure what he was doing here, still dressed in the blue jeans and burgundy button down he has worn to work that morning, standing outside McGee's apartment. He had tried to go to his own apartment, had actually made it to the parking lot of his apartment building, before turning around and heading to McGee's. He just couldn't get the look on his Probie's face out of his mind. Tony had never seen a look like that on his face before. He couldn't bare to think he was the cause of it.

Tony sighed and raised his hand to knock on Tim's apartment door.

_**-**_**NCIS****_-_**

I WANTED TO ADD MORE TO THE GIBBS AND TIM CONFRONTATION BUT MY IMAGINATION DESERTED ME. SORRY. I HOPE NO ONE'S TO DISAPPOINTED.


	10. Chapter 10

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! GOTTAHAVEMYNCIS, DS2010, JACKSAM,EXTRAORDINARY GEEK, LSMCFAN, HERMIONE'S SHADOW, MYSTERYFAN15, STARJEMS88, KILLERBEE06, GINNYL,SUMNUMB3RS, 68LUVCARTER, JUNEE, NY05016SC, PRECIOUS PUP, MOONLIGHT HUNTER, MAUDLIN MUSH, JAZZIEG, MAMAKAY, CROCADILE1986, CAMRY72**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

**-NCIS-**

Abby stealthily walked to her lab, her black lace up boots almost noiseless in the silent hallway, making sure that no one saw her, even though it was late at night and most had left hours ago. She walked to her office, putting the bag with her clean clothes, makeup and toiletries beside her desk, before taking her keys out and opening the locked desk drawer. She reached in and took out two evidence bags. One was marked with Gibbs name, the other, McGee's. It had been easy to get Gibbs coffee cup. He left them everywhere. It had been harder to get a sample from McGee. He hadn't thrown anything away or left anything that she could get DNA off of since this had all started. Abby finally had to use drastic measures and resort to jimmying the lock on his car and taking an empty soda can from bag of trash that he hadn't had a chance to throw away. Why he didn't set his alarm on the Navy Yard, Abby didn't know. She was just glad he didn't—and that he had gotten there later than usual and had to park away from the security cameras.

Abby stared at the evidence bags with the coffee cup and soda can in them for a long minute, before taking the bags into her lab and putting on a pair of gloves.

She knew she shouldn't be doing this. Not after what happened today, but there was something bothering her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like she was missing something. McGee wasn't acting like his self. Sarah had said some stuff that just didn't make sense to her. They were hiding something. Abby knew they were.

She was going to find what it was. Her decision made, Abby opened the bag marked 'Gibbs' and took the cup out.

**-NCIS-**

Jethro Gibbs sighed, putting the sand paper down. He just couldn't seem to concentrate on his latest project tonight. He emptied the screws out of the glass they were in and poured bourbon in it from the decanter on the top shelf over his work bench. He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, sitting down heavily on the chair in front of his work bench, staring at the amber colored liquid, his mind, unsurprisingly, on his youngest agent. McGee's attitude in the elevator had shocked him. He had seen a side to his agent that he had never seen before. An angry, bitter man that Gibbs hadn't recognized as his calm, gentle giant of an agent. Gibbs took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had thought a lot about McGee since the elevator. He admitted that he had been unfair to the young man—and not for the first time. He knew how Abby was. She wouldn't let things go, especially when she couldn't see that they were wrong. And...well, he knew that he let her get away with a lot. He was a little... _**irrational **_when it came to Abby. He knew why, even if he had never admitted it before. She was a daughter to him. She brought out all his protective instincts.

McGee's words in the elevator had bothered him; a lot more then he wanted to admit—even to his self. But he knew they were true.

Gibbs swallowed the amber colored liquid down, putting the glass down on his work bench, and standing up to dust off his gray sweat pants and black t-shirt with **MARINES **across the front of it. Gibbs started up the basement steps slowly, still lost in thought.

McGee had never come to him. For anything. Not even when his sister was in trouble. Not until he had no other choice _**but**_ to go to Gibbs.

Gibbs has always told his team that they could come to him for anything. And they had. All of them had come to him at one time or another—even Palmer. It had been through Ducky but he had still come to Gibbs. It stung that his youngest agent never had, not even for something like Abby's 'game'. It worried him,too. Because if McGee couldn't trust him with something as small as Abby's game and something as big as his sister's potential murder charge, then what else couldn't he trust Gibbs with?

Gibbs slowly made his way upstairs to his bedroom and prepared for bed, that disturbing thought keeping him up until the early morning hours.

**-NCIS-**

Sarah put the cherry pie on the counter to cool, turning the oven down until it was almost off to keep their food warm. She didn't know if Tim would want anything to eat but she sure didn't want it being cold if he did. Sarah got the coffee out and started a pot. Tim usually didn't drink coffee at night but he might want it tonight. She turned to fill the carafe saw the whiskey bottle and glass, still sitting beside the sink where Tim had left them, and suddenly she wasn't here anymore. She was there.

Sarah shuddered as memories she had fought hard to suppress ran through her mind. A younger Sarah, another tiny apartment, another bottle of liquor, another drunk man. Sarah shook her head trying to dispel the images that assaulted her mind—images of small hands stained red and blank, dead eyes. She dropped the carafe in the sink, her hands flying to cover her ears to block out the sound of shrill, girlish screams,the sound of harsh labored breathing, and the voice that still haunted her dreams.'_**Pretty thing, pretty little thing...'**_

Sarah felt her throat close up and struggled for breath, trying to push the panic away, telling herself that she was safe here. That Tim would protect her. That Tim always took care of her. She concentrated on slowing her breathing, forcing air through her mouth, into her lungs. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. She pushed the memories away, pushed her panic away and felt her heart slow to normal.

A hand touched her shoulder, startling her, and she spun around, yelling, striking out with her hands and feet, again lost in another place, another time.

"Sarah!" A voice yelled, hands grabbed at her flailing hands, she fought all the harder. "Sarah! It's Tony!" Tanned, masculine hands grabbed her wrists, stopping her from hitting him again. "It's Tim's partner!"

Sarah stilled, the fright draining from her. "Agent DiNozzo?" She asked, looking into his familiar moss green eyes.

Tony blew out a breath. "Yeah." Tony released her hands. "Are you okay?" He asked cautiously.

Sarah stared at him for a second. She remembered her brother's defeated look and the tears that he had tried so hard to hide from her, and felt fury fill her. She balled her fist, waited for the right moment and swung.

_**BAMM!**_

Tony felt pain explode in the middle of his face and blood spurted. "OW!" He raised his hands to cover his nose. "Sarah! What the hell!" He yelled.

Sarah drew back her arm to punch him again, but Tim came in at that moment, fresh from his shower,sliding around Tony to grab her before she could let loose. "Let me go!" She yelled as she struggled against her brother's restraining arms. "**LET ME GO! NOW!**" She screamed, furiously, at the top of her lungs.

Tim glanced over his shoulder at Tony. "What did you _**do**_?" He hissed, glaring at him.

"Me?" Tony sputtered incredulously. "I didn't do _**anything**_!" Tony nose was hurting too bad to be able to smell the liquor on his Probies' breath, but his ears worked just fine and he could hear the slight slur in his voice.

Sarah, who had started to relax a little, suddenly trying to go around her brother, lunged at Tony, almost breaking out of her brother's arms. "You did do something! You hurt my brother!" She screamed. "You laughed at him! How could you do that? You're supposed to be his friend!" Sarah struggled harder to get to Tony. "I'm gonna..." She trailed off, trying to shrug off Tim's arms. "I'm gonna..." She stopped struggling and looked up into her brother's grass green eyes. "Will you _**please**_ let me go!"

Tim let out a little chuckle. "Not until you _**stop **_trying to kill Tony."

Sarah was too mad to let the smell of the whiskey on her brother's breath and the slight slur to his words bother her. She glared furiously up at her brother. "He hurt you! He's supposed to be your friend!" She turned her glare to Tony. "How did you even get in here anyway? You have a key,to? Don't you people know how to respect boundaries?" She started to struggle again. "Let me _**GO!**_ I'm gonna knock him into next week!"

Tim let out another chuckle. "I think breaking his nose is quite enough for one night."

Sarah abruptly stopped moving. She glanced at Tony, blood dripping down his hands as he stared at her."Do you really think I broke his nose?" She asked as she looked back up at her brother.

Tim glanced over his shoulder at Tony again, then turned back to his sister. "I think it's a distinct possibility."

She turned her death glare back onto Tony. "Good!" Sarah exclaimed, a vindictive little smile graced her lips. "If you let me go, I'll give him a black eye to go with his broken nose!" She hissed furiously, balling her hand into fist and trying to shake it at Tony but not being able to raise her arms.

Tim's lips turned up into a smile at his sister's antics, even though pain lingered in his steady, grass green gaze. "Settle down, Little Bit."

Sara's doe eyes met her brother's eyes, unabashed. "He's supposed to be your friend, Tim. Friends are supposed to laugh _**with**_ you, not _**at**_ you."

Tim sighed. "He's never claimed to be my friend, Little Bit. He's never claimed to be anything to me."

Tim's stoically spoken words were like a knife to Tony's heart. He couldn't help but wonder if it hurt Tim to say and think them as much as it hurt Tony to hear them.

"That's not true, Tim!" He denied vehemently. "I'm your friend! I—I kind of always thought we were, maybe, more then that, really." Tony finished uncertainly. Tony felt a little unsure of his self. Tim wasn't like Tony. His Probie had a family. _**Real**_ family. Flesh and Blood family. What did Tim need with him?

Tim glared over his shoulder at Tony. "What are you doing here, Tony? Why was my sister screaming? How did you get in here?"

"I knocked. No one answered. So I—I." Tony swallowed hard. "The door was open, so I came in. I must have scared Sarah." It wasn't the most eloquent of explanations but it touched on the basics.

Tim turned his clear green eyes back to his sister. "Sarah..."

She cut what he was going to say off. "It's not his fault, Tim. Not really." She mouthed _**FLASHBACK**_ to him.

Tim nodded. Sarah used to have flashbacks all the time. A sight, a sound, a touch... would bring it all back. She hadn't had one in years not since her friend was killed and she was almost raped. Tim reasoned that it must have been the combination of the nightmares that Abby had brought back and Tony scaring her that had brought it on. That was until he saw the way she looked away from him, refusing to meet his eyes. Regret immediately filled him as he realized that he must be the cause of her flashback.

Tim had broken one of his own rules. There were things he didn't do, especially around his sister. Drinking was one of those things.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah." He whispered remorsefully.

"It's not your fault either." She said.

But it _**was**_ his fault and Tim knew it.

Tony watched the brother and sister, wondering what Tim had to be sorry for. He was the one who had walked in on Sarah and scared her. Tony's investigator side tingled. He had a feeling that he had or was missing something.

"Probie..."

Tim swung around. "What are you doing here, Tony?" He asked harshly." What do you want? Do we have a case? Why didn't you call?"

It did not go unnoticed by Tony that when Tim had turned around he placed himself in front of Sarah, his arms strategically back, keeping her firmly where she was, and being able to defend from attack that came on either side. It was a stance that Tony had seen before but never from his Probie. It hurt Tony that Tim thought he had to protect his sister from him.

"No case, Tim. I just wanted to talk about—," Tony faltered. "about today."

"What about today?" Tim asked coldly, not relaxing his stance.

Tony met Sarah's doe eyes that could just barely see over her brother's bare shoulder and read the accusation in them. He dropped his moss green eyes to the floor, ashamed. "It was just a joke, Tim. I didn't mean anything by it." He said, his voice soft. Tony really hadn't—and he didn't understand why it had upset his friend so much.

Tim thought about how to respond to that for a long minute. He thought about all he could say, what he could tell Tony, and then realized that all the words in the world wouldn't really make a difference. "It's alright. No damage done." He finally said.

But there had been damage done. Tony could see that in the angry, hurt look on his face, hear it in the coldness in his voice that didn't quite hide the pain. "Look, Tim, can we—can we _**talk**_? Please?"

"I don't see any reason to talk." Tim said stubbornly. "I've already told you there was no damage done."

Tony felt his stomach drop. How could he make it right between Tim and him if Tim wouldn't even talk to him? "Please, Tim, can we talk?"

Tim eyed him suspiciously. "You don't have too, okay? Just tell me what you want. I'll do it. You don't have to pretend you're sorry."

Tony felt tears sting his eyes and he closed them to keep the tears from falling. He honestly didn't know what was worse—that his friend thought he had come here to apologize just because Tony needed something from him, or the thought that someone had done something similar to Tim before. "I don't want anything except to talk to you. To apologize." Tony opened his eyes and looked in Tim's furious ones."That's all. I promise." It hurt Tony more then he wanted to admit to have his partner, his friend, his little _**brother**_, look at him with such suspicion.

"Alright." Tim said reluctantly. "Just let me get dressed, okay?" Tim added, bringing attention to the fact that he stood in the middle of his kitchen in nothing but a large, bright yellow bath sheet. When Tony nodded he turned to Sarah. "Are you going to be okay alone with him?"

Sarah gave him a smile. "Of course."

Tim turned back to face Tony, still standing in front of his sister. He didn't say anything, just glared at him warningly for a few minutes then stalked out of the kitchen and into his bedroom. That he was a little light headed and a little unsteady on his feet he hoped no one noticed.

Sarah waited until she heard Tim's bedroom door close before speaking."If all you've come here for is to play another joke or to laugh at my brother again or to gain new material to use against him, then just leave." Her big doe eyes swam with tears as she thought about the heartbreak that her brother had already suffered. "If you have any decency, any decency at_** all**_, then you will leave now and never mention coming here to him." She said in a tear-filled voice.

Tony tried not to let the brother and sister's low opinion of him, bother him. "I'm just here to talk to him, Sarah. I promise."

Sarah eyed him suspiciously, trying to see if he was being truthful. "Alright." She said finally. "I guess that I'll you guys some privacy." Sarah walked around Tony and into the living room.

Tony followed her as she picked up Jethro's leash, slipped on a black zip up sweater, and called to Tim's dog. "I'm going to walk Jethro. Tell Tim that I'll stay close to the apartment building and that I won't walk where there aren't any people." Sarah bent down and clipped the leash to the dog's collar. "Okay?" She looked back to where Tony stood by Tim's desk.

Tony nodded and Sarah left the apartment with the dog.

**-NCIS-**

Ziva drove the short distance to Tim's place from her place, lost in thought. She hoped that

Tim would like the gift she had got him. She hoped that he would accept it in the spirit in which it was given. She chewed on her lower lip nervously, a habit she had grown out of years ago.

Ziva was uneasy. She was not good with emotion. She found it hard to express in words her feelings. She didn't know how to tell McGee that she was sorry, that she truly regretted hurting him. She hoped by showing him that she cared she could convey that. Ziva pulled her little car into a visitor parking space and noticed Tony's car a few spaces down. She didn't get out, wondering if she should come back later or even tomorrow. She hoped that Tony had come to … well, she didn't know what she hoped. That Tony realized that he had hurt a man who has only ever wanted to be his friend? A man that Tony claimed was a brother to him? Ziva was still wondering what she should do when she saw Sarah McGee walk by with McGee's large German Shepard. If McGee's sister was here then it might be okay if she waited and talked to Tim. Making a split second decision, Ziva hopped out of her car and hurried after the brown haired girl and the giant dog. If McGee was her family then that meant his sister was family, too. Ziva thought maybe it was time to get to know her newest family member.

_**-**_**NCIS-**

**NOT A LOT OF DRAMA IN THIS CHAPTER. I FELT BAD ABOUT EVERYTHING I'VE PUT TIM THROUGH, SO I THOUGHT I'D GIVE HIM A BREAK. I KNOW THAT EVERYONE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO TONY AND TIM'S TALK AND I HAD PLANNED TO HAVE IT IN THIS CHAPTER, BUT IT WAS GETTING SO LATE AND I WANTED TO POST SO I SEPERATED IT. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT.**

**ANOTHER THING, FLASHBACKS CAN HAPPEN LIKE I DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER. ONE COULD BE OUTSIDE WALKING IN THE SUNSHINE AND SEE,HEAR OR TOUCH SOMETHING AND THEN THEY COULD BE LOST IN A TRAUMA. SARAH CAME OUT OF IT EASIER THEN IT IS USUALLY TO COME OUT OF ONE AND THE BLOOD ON DINOZZO'S HANDS SHOULD HAVE SENT HER INTO ANOTHER ONE, SINCE SHE HAD JUST HAD ONE, BUT SINCE THIS IS A STORY—WELL YOU UNDERSTAND.**

**NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE UP ON MONDAY. TUESDAY AT THE LATEST.**

**THANKS FOR READING! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!(I KNOW, IT'S ONLY WEDNESDAY.)**


	11. Chapter 11

**SPECAIL THANKS FOR THEIR REVIEWS GOES TO:GOTTAHAVEMYNCIS, EXTRAORDINARY GEEK, STARJEMS88, 68LUVCARTER, JACKSAM, SUMNUMB3RS, DRAGONGIRL5K5, NY05016SC, MAUDLIN MUSH, CROCADILE1986, JAZZIEG, MOONLIGHT HUNTER, CAMRY72, HERMIONE'S SHADOW**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HERMIONE'S SHADOW!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

After Sarah left, Tony went into the kitchen and went to the sink. Tony washed his hands, having to scrub a little to get the blood off, then he picked up the red and brown dish towel, wet it, and started to gingerly wash the blood from his face.

Tony noticed the whiskey bottle, a quarter of the way filled, and an eight ounce glass beside it. He had never known Tim to drink hard liquor before. When ever McGee had gone out with the team, Tony had never seen him drink anything stronger than beer or wine—and Tony had never seen McGee to the point where he was slurring his words and unsteady on his feet. Tony remembered the hurt on McGee's face, the pain in his voice, and Sarah's words came back to him..._**'You hurt my brother!'**_... Had he been the cause of his Probie drinking?

Tony heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see Tim wavering in the doorway of the kitchen, dressed in navy blue and gray plaid pajama pants and a navy blue T-shirt. Tony eyed him for a minute. "Need some help?" He asked, sweeping his arm toward the kitchen table.

Tim looked at him suspiciously, thinking hard about Tony's definition of 'help'. "I don't need your kind of help, Tony." He snapped before unsteadily making his way to the table and pulling out a chair to sit down. "Sarah took Jethro for a walk?"

Tony walked to the rectangle table with the red and brown table cloth and sat down on the left side; the one without a place sitting. "Yeah. Said she wanted to give us some privacy."

Tim sighed. "She knows that I don't allow her to walk Jethro after dark by herself." Tim debated whether or not to go find her. He didn't like the idea of her out there alone. What if something happened and he wasn't there? He had promised that he wouldn't fail her again.

"Relax, Probie. She said that she would stay close to the apartment building and she wouldn't go where there were no people."

For some reason, Tony's words made Tim bristle. "You wouldn't understand how it is between Sarah and me, Tony." He retorted. "She's not your sister!" He jumped up and stumbled angrily to the sink where he picked up the whiskey bottle and poured out the remaining liquid, then threw the bottle in the trash. He wouldn't take the chance of hurting his sister again.

It was more the way the words were said then the actual words that stung Tony. He was beginning to wonder if it might be a good idea to talk to McGee when he was a little less..._**hostile.**_

_**-NCIS-**_

Sarah was more than a little anxious as she wondered if she had done right in leaving the two men alone. Tim was more than a little drunk and Tony...well, Tony, was the one who had made the joke at her brother's expense. She didn't entirely trust Tony. She didn't know him that well, but what she did know she didn't like. Of course Sarah wouldn't like anyone that hurt her brother.

Sarah sighed and bent down on the sidewalk to pet the large dog. Another thing that bothered her was that Tony had noticed Tim's reaction to his joke. Usually, Tim wouldn't let anyone know that they had bothered him. That he did was cause enough for concern. This was Tim's Achilles heel. She had a feeling that Tony had prayed on all of Tim's insecurities, all his fears of rejection from his father. It wasn't only Tony's joke that hurt him, or his friends' laughing, it was that Gibbs' had found amusement in something that wasn't funny, and then he had made it worse by blaming Tim for something anyone else could see wasn't his fault.

Sarah was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice the other woman until Jethro barked and started wagging his tail. Sarah turned her head and saw Ziva standing on the sidewalk slightly behind her, dressed in black knit leggings, a over-sized sand colored t-shirt and camel colored work boots, her curly jet black hair loose around her shoulders and her exotic features devoid of cosmetics. Sarah stood and turned to face the other woman. Fury fulled her and her first instinct was to pop her one as she had DiNozzo, but Sarah managed to reign herself in. "What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously. Two of Tim's co-workers showing up in one night? Something was fishy.

Ziva was taken aback by the younger woman's hostility. "I am here to see your brother."

Sarah raised a well groomed dark brown eyebrow. "That is quite obvious, Agent David." Sarah swept an arm behind her. "It _**is**_ his apartment." She said in a cold voice. "_**Why**_ are you here. Didn't get enough of making my brother miserable at work, you had to bring it to his home?"

Ziva was unsure what to say. "Sarah, I—" Ziva stopped. "I am ashamed of my behavior, Sarah. I should not have laughed at Tony's joke, and if I had known that it would affect Tim the way it did, I would not have, but it was just a little thing." Ziva knew that it sounded like she was just making excuses and stopped, because that wasn't her intention. "Your brother is my friend, Sarah, and I should never have done anything to hurt him." She said truthfully, in a quiet voice. "I am truly sorry that my actions was cause for any distress."

Sarah stared at her trying to see the truth in her. She couldn't help but think that it was awful convenient that Tony and Ziva would care now that they had upset her brother when it was obvious by their actions that they never had before. "Agent DiNozzo is talking to Tim now. He says he wants to apologize."

"I saw Tony's car, that's why when I saw you walk by with Jethro, I came to talk to you."

Jethro had waited patiently while the two women talked but started to pull on the leash. Sarah started to walk and Ziva fell into step beside her.

"It's funny that you both come here tonight to talk to my brother because you've upset him when you've never cared before." Sarah said after walking for a few minutes.

Ziva remained quiet for a few long seconds, choosing carefully what she wanted to say. "It scared me when Abby told us that Tim was quitting and it was because of something she had done. I think it scared us all. For my part, I truly could not imagine what it would be like to come to the navy yard and Tim not be there. That is why I am here now and why I think Tony is, too. We don't want anything we may do to be the cause of Tim leaving us."

Sarah stopped at the corner of the sidewalk in front of the apartment building where there was a street light and looked at Ziva. She wanted so much to trust her. She wanted to believe that this wasn't some cruel trick that Tony and Ziva were playing on Tim, but she didn't. Not entirely, anyway. But at the same time, she hoped it was true, because her brother needed this. He needed to know that it wasn't all one sided. He needed to know that they cared about him as much as he cared about them. "Let's give them a few more minutes and then we can go in, okay?" She said finally.

Ziva could tell that Sarah didn't entirely trust her but was willing to take what she could get. "That is good." They were starting to walk back the other way when Ziva finally noticed what Sarah was wearing. She wore a big black zip up sweater that Ziva was sure was her brother's, a red apron with brown trim over dark lavender yoga pants and a lighter lavender tank top. On her feet she had brown dog slippers with black ears. "Nice slippers." Ziva studied them as they walked. "You know they kind of look like Jethro."

Sarah giggled. "I thought so,too, but don't tell Tim that. He had a fit when I did."

Ziva smiled as they slowly made their way back to Tim's apartment, stopping by Ziva's car to pick up Tim's gift on the way.

**-NCIS-**

Tim wearily rubbed his eyes. "Look you wanted to talk, so talk." He said harshly, not sure he wanted to listen to anything Tony had to say. Tim sighed. He knew he was being unreasonable—and more than little sensitive. He knew he had overreacted today. That Tony had noticed and was here to make amends—if he was telling the truth and Tim was still not sure about that—was proof that he had. He just didn't want to talk to Tony right now. Tim had always been the type to lick his wounds in private.

Tony stared at Tim, now that he had Tim's attention he was at a loss at what to say. Even if he knew what to say he would find it hard to say to this Tim. This was a side to his friend he had never seen before.

"Tony?" Tim questioned.

"I don't know what to say." Tony managed finally after a few more minutes of silence.

Tim sighed tiredly. "Why did you come here, Tony?"

"To apologize." He answered automatically.

"Why?"

"Because I'm sorry." Tony replied. "About today." He added uncertainly.

Tim looked at him skeptically. Tony could tell that he didn't believe him, he could tell that Tim still thought that this was a trick on his part, another way to ridicule him, or that Tony was only here to apologize because he wanted something and could get it by pretending to be sorry.

"Why?" Tim asked again.

"Because I—I shouldn't have—"

"No." Tim interrupted. "I mean why now? You've never been sorry before for anything you've said of did. Why are you sorry this time?"

Tony swallowed hard. How could he tell Tim that he had never noticed that any of his actions had hurt his friend before? That the only reason he had now was because Ziva had pointed it out? That would go over well. Tim was already suspicious of his motives, telling him that would only make it seem that Tony was here only because someone had told him to come. "I just am." He said finally. "Can't you just accept that?"

No. No, Tim couldn't accept that. Because, contrary to what he may show to the world, Tim didn't accept anything at face value. He didn't follow blindly. He didn't believe for the sake of believing. Tim always suspected. He always questioned. He always looked that little bit closer than anyone else. No, he couldn't just accept that Tony didn't have any ulterior motives for coming here.

But Tim could pretend. Tim pretended a lot and he would pretend now. He would pretend that he believed Tony when he said he was only here because he was sorry. He would pretend that he trusted Tony when he said he didn't want anything. Tim was very good at pretending. Sometimes he pretended so well that he almost believed it his self. "Okay." He said finally after staring at Tony fuzzily for a while.

Tony could see the distrust in Tim's eyes. Tony wasn't used to it. He wasn't used to Tim not trusting him—not trusting him about something like this anyway. "Why are you having such a hard time with this?"

"Why did you automatically dismiss what Abby said today? Even before she said it was a mistake, you didn't believe it could be true. Why?" Tim said, the whiskey having loosened his tongue.

"Because—Because," Tony sputtered. "You wouldn't do that. I know you. You wouldn't _**lie**_." He said with wide, moss colored eyes.

Tim pushed unsteadily to his feet. "But what if I had!" He exclaimed,starting to pace, wobbling back and forth on the brown tiled floor in front of the kitchen table. "What if you don't know me as well as you think you do? What if I _**did**_ lie? What then?"

"But you _**wouldn't**_!" Tony exclaimed agitatedly.

"What if I _**did?**_" Tim asked insistently. "What if I was to tell you that I had lied, to everyone about _**everything**_!"

Tony jumped up and stood in front of Tim, that question feeling him with a dread that he didn't quite understand. "Because I couldn't handle that!" He practically yelled.

Tim just blinked his grass green eyes at him,making it clear that he didn't understand.

Tony sighed and ran his hand agitatedly through his golden brown hair, then sighed. "Everyone brings something to the team." He said after a minute."I bring laughter." Tony smiled grimly. "Or at least I try too." Tony took a deep breath, wondering if he could explain well enough for Tim to understand, when he wasn't sure he understood his self why the thought of Tim deceiving them all disturbed him so much. " Ducky brings his compassion. Abby, her stubbornness. Ziva brings her single-mindedness. Gibbs brings his great strength. And Palmer brings..." Tony trailed off, unsure of what word to use to describe Palmer.

Tim quirked a half-hearted smile. "I know."

Tony nodded, then continued. "And you, Tim, you bring your truth." He said in a quiet but steady voice that rang with clarity and honesty. "We need that truth, Tim. We depend on it. We count on it." His voice got softer. "We trust in it." Tony watched the impact of his words on Tim, seeing if he understood what Tony was telling him.

Tim felt despair fill him. It was at that moment that he realized he would never be able to tell them. He would never be able to tell Gibbs. They would never understand why he had kept this from them. It wasn't until right then that he understood what it was like to want something so bad that a part of you died when you realized that it could never be yours.

Tim stumbled to his seat at the table and collapsed in it in defeat, a pain so sharp and a loss so deep that it may be years before he actually felt it.

"Tim?" Tony asked worriedly, wondering what he had said that put that look of such loss and defeat on his friend's face. "Tim?" He laid a hand on Tim's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Tim flinched slightly, then settled wearily into his seat. "I'm fine, Tony." He said hollowly. "Just fine."

But he wasn't fine and Tony could see that. Tony had hurt his friend again and the worst part was he didn't know how.

The front door opened then and they heard Sarah walk in with Jethro talking to someone. Tim jumped up and plastered a smile on his face. He saw the concern on his friend's face and whispered, "I'm okay, Tony. Really." Tim looked up to the kitchen doorway and his eyes widened when he saw Ziva standing beside his sister in the kitchen doorway.

"Ziva has brought you something, Tim." Sarah said, looking from Tim to Tony, trying to see if things had been resolved between the two of them.

Tim looked at Ziva and then glanced to the side of him at Tony, suddenly suspicious. "What?" He asked his voice hard.

Ziva took a step toward him, a little uncertain. "I wished to say—" Ziva stopped. "I wanted to—" She stopped again, uncertain how to convey what she wanted to say. She walked to where Tim stood and handed him a gaily wrapped package.

Tim looked from the brightly colored gift in his hands to Ziva's chocolate colored eyes. She could tell he was suspicious of her motives for giving him a gift when she never had before. She knew that he had given them all gifts over the years, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, or just because gifts. They would magically appear on their desks just when they were needed the most, and no one ever knew who put them there, or at least no one ever said. But Ziva knew. She didn't know how she knew but she did.

Ziva looked into his familiar grass green eyes and smiled. "I am truly sorry, Tim." She said quietly, hoping he could here the sincerity in her voice.

Tim just stared at the gift for a long minute, then tore the paper off to reveal a Nina Simone jazz record. For the second time that night Tim staggered to the kitchen table and sat down heavily in his still pulled out chair. At any other time this gift would touch places inside him that Ziva could not even begin to understand. No one but Sarah had ever given him a gift before. He'd been in his teens before she even understood about holidays and presented him with a painstakingly colored picture that year for his birthday. Over the years since then he had sometimes received gifts at Christmas from the secret Santa exchange at various work places, and he had given gifts,especially at NCIS. Just little things that he had heard that someone on the team wanted or something he had seen that he thought they would like, Tim had never let anyone know that he was the one giving the gifts, of course. He'd been too afraid that they would feel obligated to give him something in return.

Tim continued to study the jazz record, lost in his thoughts. No one had ever given him something like this before. Not something that they had gone to the trouble of getting because they knew he would like it. No one but Sarah had ever cared enough to do that. Tim ran a hand reverently over the record cover.

Sarah watched Ziva as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. She wondered if Ziva knew what this meant to her brother. Tim had always made holidays special for her but no one had ever done the same for him. And he was always giving her little things just because he wanted her to have them. Always giving little things to his team because he wanted them to have them, even though no one had ever given him anything before Ziva.

Ziva couldn't stand it anymore. "Tim?" She asked hesitantly. "Is it all right? Do you—," she swallowed heavily. "Do you like it?" She asked anxiously, from where she stood behind him.

Tim ran another reverent hand over the record. "I _**love**_ it!" He said fervently. He turned slightly in his chair so he could look at Ziva. "Can we listen to it?" He asked hopefully, in a almost childlike manner.

Ziva blinked. "Of—of course." She stuttered slightly.

"I'll go put it on, Tim." Sarah offered gently. She left her place just inside the kitchen doorway and walked to where he sat and held out her hand for the record.

Tim hesitated, suddenly afraid that if he let go of it someone would take the record from him.

"Tim?" Sarah questioned.

"I'll help you." He said and stood unsteadily to his feet.

Sarah looked at him for a brief second, then turned to where Tony stood. "I've invited Ziva to stay for supper. You're invited too." She turned to walk out of the kitchen, Tim following her. "Sit down, we'll be back in a minute." She called over her shoulder.

Tim shuffled after her, blinking his eyes to try to keep the room in focus, beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol a lot more.

Brother and sister walked silently to the shelf where Tim kept his record player. "I'm sorry, Sarah." He said remorsefully as he took the vinyl disc out of it's cover and put it on the turn table. The record started, filling the apartment with soulful jazz. "I am so sorry for dumping all that stuff on you, for the..." He trailed off. "For _**everything!**_" He finished, dropping his chin to his chest, his back to her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Tim." She said, laying a hand on his shoulder. He didn't say anything. "Do you believe them?" Sarah asked after a minute, changing the subject.

Tim turned to face her, regret shining in his grass green eyes. "I don't know." He said, letting her change the subject. "I want to believe them." But wanting to believe something wasn't the same as actually believing it. He didn't have to say it out loud. She knew it as well as he did.

"Maybe this is the turning point, Tim." Sarah said hopefully. "Maybe this will be the beginning of something new, something good." Sarah thought for a minute about what Ziva had said. "Maybe they finally realize what they'll lose if you aren't around."

Tim smiled sadly. "Maybe." He said, reaching a hand to the back of her neck and pulling her close so he could bend slightly and kiss the top of her. "Only time will tell." He turned and started back to the kitchen, leaving Sarah to follow.

Yes, time would tell. But she couldn't help but wonder, what would time tell?

**-NCIS-**

Ziva sat down at the chair at the farthest end of the rectangular oak table, studying the kitchen. She had been to Tim's apartment before but she had never took the time to look around. It was very...nice. Very comfortable. She noticed that none of the stuff was new, bit she could tell that everything had been lovingly took care of. She ran a hand over the slightly scarred but freshly polished oak table. Family heirloom? She wondered.

"Nice, isn't it?" Tony asked, sitting down in the chair he had sat in previously.

"Yes." Ziva said, looking up. "It is very old, isn't it? Do you think..." She trailed off when she got a good look at Tony. "Tony!" She exclaimed, jumping up. "What happened to you?"

A dark red stained Tony's cheeks. "Uh, Sarah punched me." He mumbled, embarrassed.

Ziva sat back down in her seat. "Why did she do that?"

Tony shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure telling Ziva that Sarah had punched him because he had been mean to her brother was such a good idea. It was the truth. Basically. But putting it in those words trivialized it somehow. "Uh, it seems that Tim was...**_upset_**... when he came home." He settled for instead.

Ziva nodded, remembering Sarah's hostility towards her. She could see Sarah hitting Tony.

Tim staggered into the room then, almost tripping before making it to the table to sit down.

Ziva's eyes widened in concern. "Are you alright, Tim?" She asked, not having been close enough to smell the liquor on his breath.

Tim smiled at her a little drunkenly. "I think that I might be a little drunk."

Sarah snorted as walked to the cabinets and took out two more place sittings. "A little?" She asked as she sit a plate in front of Tony and one in front of Ziva. She then moved to where Tim kept his silverware.

Ziva was shocked. If asked, she would have said that Tim was not one to over indulge.

Tony studied Tim. "How many did he have, Sarah?" He asked quietly.

Sarah put oven mitts on and got the perfectly cooked roast and vegetables out of the oven. "Four, maybe five, glasses." Sarah replied as she put the roast on the waiting platter then added the potatoes and carrots, trying to block the memories that came to her mind.

Tony's eyes widened as he looked at his Probie. He couldn't understand how Tim was still standing. "It might be a good thing that your fixing to eat."

Ziva nodded., agreeing.

Sarah put the red and brown platter down on the middle of the table before turning to Tim with the carving knife and fork. She looked at her brother's glazed eyes and shaky hands and turned instead to Tony, handing him the utensils. "I think it might be best if you carved."

Tony smirked and nodded.

Sarah moved to the sink and filled the coffee pot, finishing the starting of the coffee she had started a while ago. When she was done she moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a glass picture of iced tea. "Is iced tea okay?" She asked moving to the table and pouring them all a glass when they said yes.

They had finished supper and Sarah had got up to get the dessert when Tim noticed Tony looking from him to Sarah. "What, Tony?" He asked

Tony turned from his contemplation of Sarah. "Oh, it's just that you two don't look very much alike, is all."

Tim froze. "Uh, I favor my father's family." He said after a moment. Which was the truth. He had seen a picture of his grandmother that time he had went to Stillwater on a case and she had had green eyes and dirty blond hair just like him. "While Sarah is the spitting image of our mother." Tim hoped that he would let it go like with that and not ask anymore questions.

The way Tim froze sent tingle of awareness through Ziva. Something about his wording bothered her. He had said 'my father' and 'our mother'. Did that mean they were only half-brother and half-sister?

"Oh." Tony said as Sarah served the pie and coffee. "So there are only the two of you? No other brothers or sisters?" Tony took a bite of his cherry pie while he waited for Tim to answer.

Ziva watched as Tim's fork froze half-way to his mouth. He put his fork down and cleared his throat.

"No. I have no more brothers or sisters." Alive, that is. He clarified silently. "It's just me and Sarah."

"Do you have any siblings, Agent DiNozzo?" Sarah asked, hoping to get the conversation off of **_their_** family.

"It's Tony, Sarah, and no I don't." Tony took a sip of his coffee and winced at the bitter taste. "So your dad's a navy man?"

Ziva noticed that both Sarah and Tim had stopped eating by then and wondered why they were so uncomfortable talking about their family.

"Yes, my dad was in the military." He said reluctantly. "There has been McGees' in the navy since there has _been _ a navy." Tim felt guilty even though neither of his statements were lies. Gibbs had been a marine and there have been McGees in the navy since the beginning—only Tim wasn't a McGee. Not really.

Sarah decided that now would be the perfect time to change the subject. "Um, I had planned for me and Tim to watch a movie after we ate. Do you two want to join us?" She asked.

Ziva looked at the clock on the microwave. It was only a little after nine but she felt drained. She had enjoyed the meal and talking with the brother and sister, but now she was ready to go back to her apartment and mellow out. "No. Not tonight but I would like to another time."

"Yeah me, too." Tony said, standing up along with Ziva. "Especially if you could for us again. That was great!"

"Yes, it was." Ziva said.

Tim and Sarah stood and followed their guests to the front door. "Thank you." Sarah said with a smile. "It was nice having you both and we'll have to do it again soon."

"Yeah." Tim said. "That would be nice."

Tony nodded. "I'd like that."

"Yes. So would I." Ziva echoed.

"Uh, Tony?" Sarah said hesitantly when they were at the door.

"Yeah?"

"I'm, uh, sorry about your nose." She apologized, even though she didn't sound very sorry.

"It's okay. I deserved it."

Sarah nodded and waved a good-bye as she went back into the kitchen to give the three partners privacy.

Tim waited until Sarah disappeared into the kitchen before he turned to Tony and Ziva. "Thanks. Both of you—thanks." He still didn't entirely trust that they were altruistic in coming here tonight, but he could let it go for now.

Ziva stood on tip toes and kissed his cheek. Tim cupped his cheek after she pulled back, surprised. It was a sign of affectation that he had never known before—and one she hardly ever gave. It wasn't the same as Abby's hugs. Abby gave those to everyone. But Ziva hardly showed affectation to anyone. It made it more...**_special_**...somehow.

"Goodnight." Ziva said to them before slipping out the door.

Tony noticed the bemused smile on his Probie's face and quirked a smile. A thousand ways to tease Tim crossed his mind, but he pushed them aside. "We okay, Tim?" Tony asked quietly.

Tim stared at Tony for a minute. "Yeah." He said finally. "Yeah, we're okay."

Tony nodded and left the apartment, more at peace then when he had entered it.


	12. Chapter 12

**I AM SO VERY SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. AND I AM SORRY THAT THIS IS SUCH A SHORT CHAPTER AND IT'S MOSTLY JUST A FILLER.**

**I HAVE TRIED TO ANSWER EVERYONE'S REVIEWS THIS PAST WEEK AND IF I HAVE MISSED ANYONE I AM SO VERY SORRY.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

**-NCIS-**

'_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.'_

Tim groaned and rolled over, wishing the hammer in his head would stop.

_'_

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.'_

He groaned again as he threw back the hunter green sheet that covered him and ran for the bathroom, as a wave of nausea came over him.

He made it just in time to empty the contents of his stomach in the toilet.

Tim collapsed on the floor and closed his eyes as he leaned back against the wall, thanking Sarah when he noticed the freshly mopped blue and yellow bathroom tile.

Tim opened his eyes when he felt a wet cloth on his face, seeing his sister on the floor beside him, wearing pale pink satin pajama pants and a pale pink knit tank top, looking at him with sympathetic doe brown eyes.

"I'm dying, Sarah." He groaned out, knowing he was over dramatizing and not caring the least little bit.

Sarah laughed softly. "You're not, but I do imagine you feel like you are."

"People are crazy!" Tim said emphatically. "They know how they'll feel in the morning and they still over-indulge!"

Sarah didn't say anything, just continued to wipe off his face with a bright yellow wash cloth, shadows in her beautiful doe brown eyes.

Tim closed his eyes again, regret filling him. "I'm sorry, Sarah." He said remorsefully.

His sister just shook her head. "Nothing to be sorry for."

Tim looked at her, wanting to argue with her, because he was sorry he had upset her the night before, but Tim also knew that there would be no point in even trying. She would just refuse to argue back.

Tim groaned as he levered up from the floor. "I've got to get ready for work." He stood against the wall, willing the room to stop spinning.

"Why don't you just call in today?" Sarah asked, watching her brother's pale face as she stood up with him.

Tim's groan this time had nothing to do with the hammer in his head or the queasiness in his stomach. "That's all I need!" He exclaimed, imaging how it would all play out if he did call in today.

"What?" Sarah asked, confused.

"Gibbs is already mad at me, Sis." _'What else is new?' _Tim added silently. Gibbs always seemed to be ticked off at him for one reason or another.

Tim pushed off the royal blue tiled wall and slowly made his way the short distance to the bathroom sink. "DiNozzo telling him that the reason I can't come into work is because I'm too hungover would be like adding fuel to an already blazing fire." Tim studied his haggard face and bloodshot eyes in the medicine cabinet mirror. He looked every inch the thirty-five—almost thirty-six—years he claimed.

Tim shook his head, exasperated with his self, as he opened the white medicine cabinet door. _'Leave it to him to find a silver lining in being hungover.'_ He thought as he took out a bottle of Tylenol and shook three out. He replaced the Tylenol and took out his toothpaste, toothbrush, and mouthwash, closing the mirrored cabinet door.

"Tony wouldn't do that." Sarah denied. "Would he?" She asked, unsure.

Tim met Sarah's eyes in the cabinet mirror. "Yeah, Little Bit, he would." He filled his bathroom glass with water and swallowed down the pain-relievers.

Sarah stood silent as Tim brushed his teeth and rinsed out his mouth with his mouthwash.

"You don't trust him, do you?" She asked as she followed him into his bedroom.

"With my well-being? No." He said as he walked around his air bed to his closet. "To do everything in his power to make me miserable and cause me trouble? Yes." He said as he took out a black suit, a bright green short-sleeved dress shirt, and a green and black silk tie.

"Even after last night?" Sarah asked in a small voice as he walked around his air bed to his big king- size bed and laid his clothes down before moving to his dresser and getting out clean white undershirt and a pair of clean black dress socks.

Tim sat down on his big bed and sighed wearily. Sarah made him feel so... so..._**tired**_**... **at times. So..._**old**_...

Even with all she knew about the harshness of life, she still had an innocence about her that made him feel ancient. Even when faced with the true nature of a person, she still believed that there was good in them. Tim put out a hand and pulled Sarah down beside him, putting his arm around her. "Last night was nice, Little Bit." He said in a gentle voice as she laid her chocolate colored head on his shoulder. "But it won't last." He laid his sandy head on top of hers. "Last night wasn't real, Sarah. It was a dream. A happy, wonderful dream, but it's the morning now and I'm wide awake, and I'm back to being the unwanted step-brother."

**-NCIS-**

Tony surprised even his self by getting to work an hour early the next morning. That he only made it in that early because he had gotten up way before his usual time to go talk to Abby was something he didn't intend to inform anyone. He'd been surprised to find Abby already gone from her apartment. He would probably have done better in calling her first, but she would have wanted to know what he wanted to talk to her about and what he had to say was better said in person. Tony dropped his pack at his desk, locked his weapon in it's drawer, set the 'DiNozzo Defibrillator' that he had brought in case McGee managed to make it in, on his desk, out of the way, and headed for the elevator, looking very handsome in his silver gray Armani suit and polished black dress shoes, his golden brown hair artfully styled. He'd seen Abby's roadster in the parking garage and he was glad he had decided to come on to the navy yard.

NCIS

Gibbs raised a silver eyebrow when he walked into the bullpen to see Tony's pack at his desk. He sat his tall white Starbucks cup down on his desk, slipped off his brown sports coat and hung it on the back of his chair, before unholstering his sig and locking it up. He'd purposefully came in earlier then his usual early time to talk to Ducky. He needed to talk to someone about his disturbing thoughts that had kept him up last night and knew that his old friend would willingly listen.

Gibbs picked up his coffee cup and headed for the elevator. He hoped that this was one of the mornings that Ducky had decided to come in early to do the paperwork that never ended.

**-NCIS-**

Ziva walked into the bullpen, wearing light wash jeans, a dark brown top and dark brown leather boots, her jet black hair pulled up in a high ponytail, her exotic features scrubbed clean, and stopped, noticing that both Gibbs and Tony was already there, but neither was at their desks. She raised a well groomed black eyebrow as she continued to her destination and put the tall coffee cup on Tim's desk before she made her way to her own work area with her large tea. She sat her white cup with the green lettering from her and Tim's favorite coffee place down on her desk and put her pack against the wall under her desk before taking her weapon out of it's holster and locking it in the drawer.

She absently sat down in her desk chair, her mind on Tim. More specifically on last night with Tim and Sarah. It had been nice, yes, but Ziva had found some of their actions and responses well,... troubling. She wasn't sure if that was the right word to describe what she was feeling. It didn't bother her exactly, she was just...curious. Yes. That was it. Ziva was curious. She wondered why the McGee brother and sister was so uncomfortable talking about they're family. Tim had never really said very much about his family, but based on what he had said and what she had found out when she had studied him as part of her assignment when she had first come to NCIS, she thought he had a big, happy family. Now she wondered if that was true. There was something there. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Ziva couldn't figure out why Tim and Sarah had reacted so strangely to such generic questions.

-**NCIS-**

**THE NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE UP THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I AM SO SORRY IT HAS TAKEN ME SO LONG TO GET THIS OUT! I HAD A BAD COLD AND COULDN'T STAND TO SIT UP FOR VERY LONG AT A TIME.**

**THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE READ AND ALL WHO WOULD HAVE READ AND REVIEWED. I APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!**

**-NCIS-**

Tony walked into the lab to find it empty, Abby's equipment running. Tony walked up to the two evidence bags, curious, as too what case she could be working on. The color drained from his face when he saw the names on the bags. There was a ding then, singling that the tests were done and fury filled him. _**'He couldn't believe she was doing this!'**_ Tony turned to the machine and started to fiddle with it, trying to erase the results, thankful that he had never paid much attention to this kind of stuff and couldn't read the results. Tony honestly couldn't remember ever being this angry with the lab rat before. He couldn't understand what would possess her to do this after the mess she had created yesterday!

"What are you doing!" An outraged voice asked from the door to the lab.

"Me!" Tony yelled, swinging to face Abby where she stood in all her goth glory, dressed in a short black skirt, a white tailored blouse with tiny black dots and puffed short sleeves, white knee socks, black platform Mary Janes, raven hair done in braided pig-tails her full lips painted blood red. "What the _**hell**_ do you think you're doing?" He asked her furiously. "How could you do this after yesterday?" Tony turned back to the machine. He pushed Abby away when she rushed over to stop him.

"Tony!" Abby exclaimed when he slapped her hands away as she tried to stop him again.

"We almost lost him, Abby!" He exclaimed as he turned from that machine to Abby's computer. He had thought about it a lot the night before after he had got home and he had come to a conclusion. He truly believed that Abby had been right yesterday. Tim had intended to quit but something had stopped him. "And if you keep this up we _**will**_ lose him!" Tony banged away at her black computer keyboard; he wasn't as good at this as Abby and Tim was, but he thought he could get the job done. He froze as an awful thought flashed across his mind. "Or is that what you want?" Tony asked tightly, turning to her. "Do you _**want**_ him to leave us?" He asked in a quiet, deadly voice. A voice she had never heard him use before.

"What?" Abby sputtered. "Of course not!"

"Well, that's what's going to happen if you don't stop!" He yelled, turning back to the computer. "You said yourself that he doesn't trust you anymore!" He typed furiously at the keyboard. "You said yourself that he doesn't feel comfortable working with you anymore! What do you think is going to happen if he finds out that you're still doing this?"

"You weren't there the other night, Tony!" Abby yelled back. "You didn't see Tim and Sarah's reactions! They are hiding something!" She insisted stubbornly. "I _**know**_ they are!" She started to pace back and forth behind Tony. "He's keeping secrets from us!"

Tony felt his anger drain from him to be replaced with uneasiness. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was right. He couldn't shake the feeling that Tim had wanted to tell him that secret last night and Tony had gotten scared and wouldn't listen.

Tony spun around and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to face him so he could look into her hazel eyes. "Then let him!" He hissed. "If Tim wants to keep secrets then let him!" Moss green eyes bored into hazel ones. "I don't want to know, Abby." He said shaking his head. "If he is keeping secrets from us then that means he doesn't trust us enough to share them with us. And if that is true, then I don't want to know."

Abby searched his eyes. "Even if those secrets are causing him to lie to us? You wouldn't want to know then?" She asked quietly.

Tony let her shoulders go and turned back to the computer. "I depend on certain things,Abby." He said after a few minutes of silence. "I depend on Gibbs' head slaps. I depend on your stubbornness and I depend on Tim's honesty." Tony stopped, trying to come up with the words to tell Abby what he had tried to tell Tim last night. "If my friend is lying to me then I don't want to know." His voice was so quiet that she almost couldn't hear him. "I couldn't handle knowing that the man—" Tony swallowed thickly. "the man I—I love like a brother is lying to me and have been since the very beginning." He stopped again. "I especially couldn't handle knowing that he is lying to me because he doesn't trust me enough to tell me the truth." He said after a minute, his voice even lower before. "Because knowing that means knowing that I have failed my brother, Abby, and failed him miserably." Tony finished erasing the results then checked the computer, trying to make sure that everything was gone. When he was done he turned to her. "Let this go, Abby." He said in a soft pleading tone. "Please, just leave this alone." He looked her in her hazel eyes, trying to convey how important this was to him. "I don't want to lose my brother, Abby. And if you keep on with this, no matter what you find out, I will." He hoped he was getting through to her. "If that happens, I will never forgive you." His voice was hard, his tone serious.

He was telling the truth, Abby realized. Tony would never forgive her if Tim left because of this. She didn't want to let this go. The McGee brother and sister were hiding something. She knew that and it all had started with those DNA tests she had ran. But is she didn't she would lose Tony's friendship. She had already lost Tim's. Did she want to risk losing Tony's? She shook her head, black braids flying. No. No, she didn't.

"Okay." She said finally. "I'll stop. I'll let this go." And she would let it go. "I promise, Tony. I'll let this go." _**'For now.'**_ She added silently.

**-NCIS-**

Gibbs walked into autopsy, relieved to see his old friend at his desk in his office, a white lab coat covering his light blue oxford shirt, Ducky's signature bow tie around his neck, black suspenders just visible beneath the lab coat. If Gibbs had to make a guess, he'd say that Ducky was wearing tan dockers and loafers on his feet. Gibbs made his way to Ducky's office.

"Good morning, Jethro." Ducky said looking up from the paperwork to where Gibbs stood in his office doorway, dressed in light brown slacks and a navy blue sort sleeve button down shirt. "Your here even earlier then usual."

Gibbs just grunted as he walked, coffee in hand, to the small sofa that sat against one of the walls and collapsed on it.

Ducky picked up his tea cup and settled back into his comfortable, black leather desk chair to wait. He could see that something was bothering his old friend and Ducky knew that Jethro wouldn't tell him anything until he was ready to.

It was a good ten minutes later before Gibbs spoke. "He doesn't trust me, Duck." Gibbs said quietly. "A member of my team doesn't trust me." That was what it boiled down to—McGee didn't trust him enough to come to him, and if McGee didn't trust him then how could they work together? They had a dangerous job, one that depended on trust to bring everyone back safely. If McGee didn't trust him, then... Gibbs shook his head, trying to dispel that thought.

"Timothy?" Ducky inquired, although he already knew that was who they were talking about. Jethro only had two male members on his team and Ducky couldn't imagine Anthony not trusting Jethro. It disturbed Ducky greatly to admit that he had no trouble,at all, imagining Timothy not trusting Jethro.

"Yeah." Gibbs took a swig of his coffee, and silence reined for a few minutes. "I asked him why he didn't come to me about Abby and her 'game'." Gibbs said finally. "Do you know what he said? What he asked me?"

Ducky could tell that whatever Timothy had said had bothered his friend greatly. "No." He said gently. "What?"

"He asked me why would he come to me? He asked when had he ever came to me?" Gibbs gave a harsh laugh. "He's right, Duck." Gibbs drained his cup and threw it into the tan trash can beside Ducky's desk. "He's never came to me. Not for anything. Not until he had no other choice _**but**_ to come to me." Gibbs leaned back against the sofa, resting his head on the back, his eyes on the ceiling. "He doesn't trust me."

Ducky thought for a long minute about how to proceed and finally settled on harsh reality. Gibbs was a firm believer in tough love. Maybe it was time to give him some. "And that surprises you, Jethro?"

Gibbs jerked up. "It doesn't surprise you?" He exclaimed, ice blue eyes narrowing.

"No. Not really." Ducky raised up and sit his tea cup in it's saucer. "You've never really given that boy any reason to trust that you have his best interests at heart." Ducky laced his fingers in front of him, his elbows resting on his desk calender. "Quite the opposite, actually. Your track record with Timothy proves that."

Gibbs stared at his old friend incredulously.

Ducky sighed. "You have to admit, Jethro, that the way you treat that young man isn't exactly fair."

Gibbs jumped to his feet, ice blue eyes blazing. "I treat McGee the exact same way I treat the rest of my team!" He said harshly, using a tone he had never used with his old friend before.

Ducky just looked at Gibbs, one eyebrow raised.

"I do!" He insisted defensively.

Ducky just continued to look at Gibbs, that one eyebrow arched.

"Don't I?" Gibbs asked uncertainly.

Ducky shook his head. For such an observant man, he could be really obtuse sometimes. "Let me ask you this—how many times have you shared one of your 'cowboy' steaks with Timothy?" Ducky returned Gibbs glare for glare. "How many times has he visited your basement for some 'sanding' therapy or just to decompress after a hard day? How many times has Timothy—"

"I get your point,Duck!" Gibbs interrupted, throwing his hands up. "But that's just family stuff! McGee doesn't need that kind of stuff from me! He has a dad!"

While Ducky wasn't entirely sure that Timothy had the great family he had led them all to believe he had, he was wise enough to know that now was not the right time to get into that; not when he was trying to explain the difference in the way Jethro treated his team. "How many times have you berated that young man? Both in front of alone and in front of other people?" Ducky continued quietly, ignoring the other man's outburst. "How many times have you embarrassed young Timothy? Intentionally? How many times have you disregarded his expertise or just down right ignored his input? How many times have you willingly and purposefully endangered that boy's safety and health? How many times have you punished him, sometimes publicly, for decisions made by other people or for things that was beyond his ability to control?"

Gibbs winced when he said that, remembering how he had blamed McGee yesterday for Abby's actions.

Ducky noticed the wince and felt a twinge of anger that Jethro was only now realizing the injustices he had perpetrated against that young man because he was pointing them out."I can go on." He said, pushing his anger away. Ducky knew that his friend didn't respond well to anger. "Do I need to, Jethro?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. I get it."

Bright blue eyes stared into ice blue ones. "Do you? Do you really?"

Gibbs ran a hand tiredly over his face. "Yeah, I do."

Ducky sat back in his chair, satisfied. "The question isn't why doesn't he trust you. It's why would he."

Gibbs sighed wearily, suddenly feeling very tired. "I wouldn't trust me either."

Ducky gave his friend a few minutes to absorb everything, before making another observation.

"You know, when Abby told us yesterday that Timothy was going to quit, it wasn't really a shock to me." He said in a quiet voice. "I didn't wonder why he was quitting. I wondered why it had taken him so long to."

Gibbs narrowed ice blue eyes. "What are you saying, Ducky?" He asked tightly.

"I'm saying that if you're not careful the next time it might not be a mistake." Ducky gave Gibbs a steely look. "If you don't start appreciating that young man, and his contribution to your team, you're going to lose him to someone who does." Ducky warned.

**-NCIS-**

Ziva looked up as the elevator doors opened and Tim stumbled through, dark glasses covering his sensitive eyes, dressed in a finely cut black suit, a cotton shirt the exact color of his grass green eyes, shiny black dress shoes and a black silk tie with green stripes. He would have took a nice picture if it wasn't for his pinched lips and pale, haggard appearance.

Tim walked to his desk and put his pack underneath his desk. He froze as he opened his drawer to put his sig away, looking at the tall white cup with green lettering that sat on his desk.

Ziva noticed him freeze and followed his line of sight. "I picked that up for you this morning when I was getting mine. I thought that you might like a coffee and I didn't think you would have the time to stop." She said gently, remembering how he had reacted the last time she had brought him coffee. Tim had been so shocked. So..so...**_surprised..._**that she would do something like that for him, even though Tim was always doing things like that for everyone else.

It was almost the same way he had reacted to her gift.

Tim spun to look at her. "I—I—" He stuttered. Tim tried to swallow the lump in his throat, blaming his emotional reaction on the alcohol, even though he knew better. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that." He managed to get out after a few seconds.

"I did not mind." Ziva said, watching as Tim finished securing his weapon and sat down in his black desk chair. "It is what family does for one another, yes?"

Ziva saw Tim stiffen at the word 'family' and wondered at it. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Maybe Tim did not consider her family?

Tim didn't say anything to that, just reached and turned on his computer. Tim took off his dark glasses off with a sigh and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"You have a headache, yes?" Ziva asked. "I have some Tylenol." She offered. Ziva noticed that Tim seemed uncomfortable with her offer and wondered why he got like that whenever someone was nice to him. Had they really treated him that bad?

Tim thought about refusing—the cup of coffee had already made him suspicious—but it was just some tylenol and his head was really hurting. "Thank you, Ziva." He said turning to her. "If you're sure you don't mind?" He inquired politely. He had intended to go get it his self after Ziva answered him but she jumped before he could and came toward him with the familiar red and white bottle in her hand.

"Of course not!" Ziva put the bottle down in front of him. "Do you want some water? I can go get you some."

Tim shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "That's okay. Sarah put a fresh bottle in my pack for me." He said, reaching in and pulling it out. Tim shook out three more of the pills and swallowed them down, even though he knew he shouldn't take that many after taking three at his apartment.

Ziva perched on the edge of Tim's desk. "You and Sarah are very close, yes?"

Tim looked up, suddenly suspicious of why she was asking about his sister. "As close as most brothers and sisters, I guess."

"You are close to your family, too, yes?" She asked, watching the way he stiffened at the question.

"Hmm." Tim said, noncommittally, turning back to his computer.

Ziva narrowed her eyes. "Your father is in the navy, yes?"

Tim shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. He couldn't refuse to answer. She would get suspicious if he did. "My... My father was in the military."

_**'Again.'**_ Ziva thought. '**_He said the same thing again. Why would he phrase it in that way? Why didn't Tim say that his father was in the navy? Why did he say that his father had been in the military?' _** "But he's not in the navy now?" Ziva asked, watching her friend carefully.

Tim continued to pretend to be interested in his e-mail, as he wished that someone would come or Ziva would get tired of asking these questions. "No, he's not."

"Oh." Ziva said, wondering why Tim had never told the team that his father was retired. "And your mother? She is a house wife, yes?"

Tim felt a little bit of relief that she had stopped questioning him about his father, even though he didn't like talking about his mother. "No. My mother is an artist." _**'Or she was the last time I saw her.'**_ Tim clarified silently. He hadn't seen his mother since he had left for MIT, taking Sarah with him.

"Oh?" Ziva said, suddenly intrigued. It just then occurred to her that Tim never really talked about his family. Well, he talked about his family but only in generalities, he said almost nothing specific about any certain person but Sarah. "Is she any good?"

"Yes. Very good." Or she used to be. When she wasn't drunk. Which had been ninety percent of the time when he had been at home. Tim pushed the memories of that time away and turned his attention to Ziva.

"Would I recognize her work?" She inquired. "Does she paint under McGee? What's her first name?"

Ziva noticed that Tim's eyes flash with panic, and wondered at it. It had been so brief, like all his out of character reactions. They would only be noticeable to someone who knew what to look for. It bothered Ziva, because she never thought she would use her mossad training on a friend.

Tim felt panic consume him. He had no way to answer that. He couldn't tell her his mother's real name because it wasn't the name on his personnel file and he couldn't tell Ziva the name that he had put on his personnel file because if Ziva tried to look it up, not only would she find out that that woman wasn't an artist, she might find out that that woman didn't exist.

He was saved from answering by the elevator doors opening and Tony walking out.

**-NCIS-**

Gibbs waited for the elevator doors to close before reaching out and pushing the red emergency stop. He blew out a breath as he leaned back against the brown paneled wall. Gibbs knew that Ducky was right. He just didn't know how to go about doing it. Hell, if he was any good at all that touchy feely crap he wouldn't be single. How in the world was the 'functional mute' supposed to let McGee know that he was a valued member of his team if he didn't have the words to tell him?

Gibbs sighed wearily before reaching out to push the red emergency button again. His got a churning in his gut that warned him today was not going to go well.


	14. Chapter 14

_**DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**_

_**-NCIS-**_

Six days later, Tim let himself into his apartment, leaned against the door and sighed, thankful to be home. It did not escape his attention that this was the second time in a little over a week that this had happened, but for two entirely different reasons.

It had been a..._**strange...**_ week at work. Not bad exactly, just..._**odd.**_ Very, very odd.

"Bad day?" A pretty voice inquired from the area of his kitchen archway.

Tim straitened up and met his sister's beautiful doe eyes. "No." He denied, letting a small smile grace his full lips. "Just a strange one." He walked to where she stood in her usual outfit of blue jeans and a turquoise t-shirt, bending his tall frame to kiss her forehead, pushing a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear.

"Strange?" She asked, watching him move to his lock box and put his weapon away. "It's still going on then?" She asked as he shed his navy blue sports coat, leaving him in his black short sleeve button down and jeans.

Tim walked into the kitchen and to the table, sitting down in his place at the head of it, Sarah following. "It's getting really weird, Sis." Tim ran his hand through his dirty blond hair in frustration. "Gibbs is actually being..._**nice...**_! To _**me!"**_

A well groomed dark brown eyebrow went up.

"Well, _**nice-ish,**_ anyway." Tim amended. He sighed then shook his head. "I don't think I like nice-ish Gibbs." He shuddered. "Nice-ish Gibbs kind of creeps me out." He stood from his chair and started to pace the brown tiled floor. "He's calling me _**Tim!**_ He _**never**_ calls me Tim! And it's not only that! He's _**talking**_ to me. He's asking me questions about my work—about computers and the programs and stuff I write—and I think he's actually _**listening**_ to what I'm saying!" He threw his hands up in the air. "And it's not only Gibbs! It's _**everyone! **_They're actually being...being... _**considerate**_!" He muttered shaking his head. "It's like they've all been replaced by pod people!" He exclaimed. "It's starting to really freak me out!"

Sarah watched him as he continued to pace back and forth. It would be funny if it wasn't just so..._**sad**_. Tim had been the scapegoat of the team for so long, the one that everyone loved to put down, the one that everyone loved to take their anger out on, that he couldn't handle it when he wasn't.

"Oh,no." Tim groaned out as a horrible thought occurred to him. "What if I'm dying, Sarah?" He asked in a loud voice, swinging to face his sister. "What if Ducky found something at my last physical? What if this is their way of trying to break the news to me gently?"

"For the love of, Mike, Tim!" Sarah exclaimed in exasperation, shaking her head. "Now you're just being silly!" Sarah gently admonished. "First of all, you don't go to Dr. Mallard for your annual physicals, remember?" Sarah pointed out. "Second of all, your last physical was six months ago. If there was something wrong, don't you think someone would have said something before now?"

Tim flushed bright red when he realized how ridiculous he was being. "You're right." He told his sister sheepishly. "I am being silly." He said coming to sit back down in his chair. "It's just..." He trailed off, wondering how to put into words what was bothering him. "It's just not _**normal**_, Sarah." He said after a minute. "Things were suppose to go back to the way they have always been. They weren't suppose to change even _**more!**_" He said in frustration.

Sarah studied her brother. "I thought that this is what you wanted, Tim." She said quietly. "Why is it bothering you so much now that it's happened?"

"Because—Because people don't just change in a few hours or overnight!" He exclaimed standing up to begin is pacing once again. "It' just... just... too _**easy!**_"

_**'And you don't trust anything that doesn't come hard.'**_ Sarah thought, finally realizing what the problem was.

Tim shook his head, letting out a weary sigh. "It won't last, Little Bit. I don't know why they have suddenly changed, I don't know if this is just a prelude to something else. I don't know if they want something from me and they all think that this is the way to get it. But I do know that it won't last. One day they all will wake up and come to their senses and I'll be right back to where I was." Tim blew out a breath and leaned back into his chair. "I meant what I said. I'm tired of hoping. I accepted the way things are. I accepted that I am never going to have the relationship that I want with my father, or the relationship I want with any of the team, and I can't go back. I—I can't hope anymore, Sarah."

Grass-green eyes met hers, begging her to understand. And she did understand. She wished she didn't but she did. Sarah felt a stab of pain in her chest as she stared at her brother sadly.

Tim returned his sister's sad stare for a minute before having to look away. "Maybe if I don't expect things to last, maybe if I don't expect more from any of them, maybe if I just expect the..." He trailed off, not wanting to upset his sister more than he had this past week and a half. He had told his sister more these past few days then he had ever shared with her before, and it needed to stop.

"If you expect the worst then maybe it won't hurt as much when the worst happens." Sarah completed the sentence for him, knowing he wasn't going to finish.

Tim refused to say anything but he didn't have to. She knew what he was thinking without having to be told. "Oh, Tim." She said sadly, shaking her head. "Life isn't suppose to be this way. Life is—is suppose to be _**enjoyed."**_ She said emphatically. "Not _**endured."**_

Tim turned his grass-green eyes to hers, a mix of emotions in their deep depths. "Life has always been this way,Sarah. Maybe it's my fault for thinking it could be any different."

Sarah looked on unhappily as her brother got up to make him a glass of ice tea. She wished there was some way she could help her brother, something she could say or do to make things better for him. Tim had always done his best to make life good for Sarah—always tried to stand between her and the world—but no one had ever tried to do the same for him. He had tried so hard—for his father, for his team—that he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't bare to fail again, to come up short. He'd hoped for so long, that he just couldn't hope anymore. He was only holding on by a thread, she could see that. Her brother couldn't take one more let down. Tim wouldn't survive another disappointment. It would completely destroy him. "What happens now?" Sarah asked in a small voice.

Tim brought his clear glass of ice tea to the table and sat back down. "I don't know, Little Bit." Tim said on a sigh. "Just let it play out, I guess." Tim ran a hand down his face wearily. "There's really nothing else to do."

_**-NCIS-**_

_**TWO WEEKS LATER**_

Sarah stepped out of the shower at her brother's apartment, wrapping a bright yellow bath sheet around herself then took another towel and twisted it into a turban around her hair. She always took showers at Tim's apartment. She hated bathing at the dorm. Sarah just couldn't get used to sharing a bathroom with someone other then her brother. She knew that Tim would never walk into the bathroom when she was in the shower, unlike her dorm mate, who was always invading Sarah's personal space, walking in when Sarah was changing and stuff. Sarah was a very private person and it made her very uncomfortable for her dorm mate to do that. Sarah couldn't understand why women seemed to think it was okay to be undressed around each other or go to the bathroom together or talk about bodily functions with each other. Sarah would _**never**_ discuss something so private with**_ anyone_**. She didn't even like to discuss those sorts of things with her female doctor. Sarah knew that she had a lot of peculiarities, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

Sarah dried off, dragging on a pair of old, comfortable jeans with rips in them that she had had for years and a faded green t-shirt. She stuffed her feet into her Jethro slippers before toweling her dark brown hair to get the excess water off before pulling it up into a messy bun, without bothering to dry it, her mind on the past two weeks.

Despite Tim's predictions, things had stayed the same at work and the night that Tony and Ziva had come over had set a precedent. They all had not only shared a couple more dinners' and even a movie night, Ziva and Sarah had even went shopping and had lunch the last Saturday that they had off. Shopping was not really Ziva's thing, but she had given it a try and Sarah had really appreciated her effort. It had been...nice... and Sarah had been glad that she had accepted the invitation, despite her reservations.

Sarah went to the kitchen and checked on the spaghetti sauce she was making for supper for the four of them. She liked their suppers okay, she would like them a lot more if Ziva wouldn't quiz them on their childhood and if Tony wasn't so..._**unTony like**_. The man that she had come to know was completely different from the man that Tim had first known and it was driving him crazy.

Sarah gave the sauce one more stir and then opened the oven door to check on the pecan pies that she had made before hopping in the shower. She wouldn't start the noodles until Tim got there and Ziva was making the salad and the dressing. Sarah had come to know that Ziva was as good a cook as she was and had found that they actually liked to try new recipes together. Even though, Tim was constantly warning her not to get to cozy with either Ziva or Tony, Sarah had come to think that the relationship she was developing with them was kin to the relationship she shared with her brother and she was enjoying it. She liked talking movies with Tony and she liked cooking with Ziva, but by enjoying her time with them she felt like she was betraying Tim. It hurt her tremendously to see her brother still so apart from everything. She understood, of course. She knew why he held himself back from his team. She knew the secrets that those guileless green eyes held. She just wished that she could make things... _**better...**_ for him somehow. Show him that life didn't have to be the way he thought it did. If Sarah could have one wish, it would to be to see her brother happy. She'd never seen him happy. She'd never seen him with an easy smile. She'd never seen him laugh without reservation. Sarah had never really seen him when he wasn't pretending. And she wanted too, if it was only once and if it could only be for a second.

_**-NCIS-**_


	15. Chapter 15

**I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN AWHILE. MY WRIST HASN'T HEALED THE WAY THE DOCTOR HAD THOUGHT IT WOULD. I'M AFRAID THAT UPDATES WILL CONTINUE TO BE SPORADIC AND THE CHAPTERS WILL PROBABLY BE SHORT LIKE THIS ONE IS. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED, ALERTED, AND EVERYTHING ELSE. I STILL PLAN TO ANSWER THEM BECAUSE I TRULY APPRECIATE EVERYONE TAKING THE TIME TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, WETHER GOOD OR BAD.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

Tim could hear his sister moving around in the kitchen as soon as he walked into his apartment. He moved to the kitchen, dropping his pack and securing his weapon along the way. He had to tell his sister about their change in dinner guests and wasn't sure how to go about it. He was sure she was going to read more into this then was there. He wished he could have found a way out of this but he wasn't sure exactly _**how**_ he had gotten into it. This supper had started out as a quiet evening with Tony and Ziva and while he was not happy with their being there, it was nothing new, then before he new it, _**everyone**_ was coming, and he couldn't remember actually inviting them or even agreeing to let them come when they invited themselves. Sarah was going to _**kill**_ him for not at least calling her.

Sarah was sitting the table when he walked into the kitchen, doing her homework. She looked up, a smile on her pretty face when she saw him. "Hey, Tim." She said, closing her text book. "How was your day?" She stood up as he came to the table, lifting her cheek for his kiss.

Tim stiffened as he thought about the extra guests he hadn't called his sister about. "Uh, fine, just fine." Tim reached up and loosened his tie as he went to the refrigerator and got himself a bottle of fruit juice.

"Good." Sarah went to the sink and filled the large pan that she had left waiting with water from the faucet and put it on to boil. "So Tony and Ziva will be here at seven?"

"Uh, yeah." Tim said, taking a deep drink of his juice. "They and the others will be here then."

Tim winced as his sister froze and then slowly turned to face him.

"_**Others**_?" She questioned with a well-groomed chocolate eyebrow raised.

Tim gulped. "I don't know how it happened, Sarah!" He exclaimed at last. "One minute Tony, Ziva, and I were talking about tonight, then next thing I know Gibbs is coming!" Tim threw his hands up in the air. "I don't even know how he knew or even who invited him! And Jimmy and Ducky! I don't know how they got involved, but they're coming to!" He ran his hand through his dirty blond hair agitatedly, waiting for his sister's blow as he tried to figure out exactly_** how**_ this happened.

"_**Wait!" **_Sarah held up a hand. "They're _**all **_ coming?" She asked with wide brown eyes. "And you didn't _**me**_? _**Tim!" **_Sarah wailed glaring at her brother. "How could you _**do**_ this?

Tim just gulped his juice, not knowing how to explain something he wasn't sure about himself.

Sarah glared at her brother as she started to bark orders out to him. "You need to get the leaf for the table and the extra chairs from the storage room. They will have to be dusted. Make sure you dust the leaf _**before**_ you put it in, okay?" She continued to glare at her brother.

Tim knew better then to argue so he just nodded.

Sarah smiled grimly. "After you do that set out the extra place settings,please. I will go through and make sure everything is picked up." Sarah turned away from her brother and walked to the cabinet above the coffee maker, going through it frantically.

Tim rolled his eyes. He knew as well as she did that she had already cleaned the apartment. Sarah may have been a slob but she knew that a messy environment drove him crazy so she always tried to keep the apartment cleaned for him. It was just one of the things that endeared her to him.

"We have enough dessert." Sarah prattled on. "I made two pecan pies. I thought Tony could take one home with him but now there probably won't be any left. I have enough spaghetti noodles to feed all of us." She said, taking down two more boxes of spaghetti. "But I'm not sure if I have enough sauce made. I do have a jar of store bought that I got for you, so I'm going to put it on to warm, just in case." She stood on tip-toe to reach the back of the cabinet, her mind racing with everything that would have to be done. Since most people only saw the differences between brother and sister, they didn't bother to look for the similarities. Sarah McGee might not have her brother genius level intelligence but she was a smart young woman and her mind sped through everything just as her brother's mind would have.

"You really don't have to go to so much trouble, Little Bit. Everyone knows that it's a spur of the moment thing." Tim reasoned. "We can order in or something." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe have sandwiches and soup."

Sarah spun around in horror, almost dropping the jar of spaghetti sauce. "Tim!" she exclaimed. "Your father is coming for a meal in our home for the first time _**ever!**_ I am not serving him canned soup and daily special ham!" She moved to pull out a pot, muttering to herself so low that Tim couldn't understand her. All of a sudden she froze mid step. "_**TIM!"**_ She wailed loudly, spinning to face him. "**GIBBS IS COMING HERE!**" She yelled, shoving the spaghetti sauce at her brother as her hands flew to her wet, messy hair. "Your _**father**_ is coming _**here!**_ _**Tonight!"**_ She glanced down at her faded, worn jeans and old faded green t-shirt before running out of the kitchen to the bedroom.

Tim sighed as he moved to the stove. He _**knew **_she would over react!

_**-NCIS-**_

Jethro Gibbs raised his hand to knock on his agents apartment door and stopped before his fist could make contact.

_'What the hell am I doing here?' _He wondered and not for the first time, an uneasy feeling filling him. He honestly couldn't say why the thought of breaking bread at McGee's—_**Tim's, he corrected himself—**_bothered him so much. This wouldn't be the first time he had ever been to an agent's home or ate with them. He did it all the time with Tony and Ziva. He went to Abby's apartment at least twice a week and Ducky and him had a standing get together every Saturday when they weren't working. This wasn't even the first time he had had a meal with Tim, either. They had had lunch together just days ago. So why did coming here tonight bother him so much? Gibbs didn't know. All he knew was that this was the last place on earth he wanted to be and because of that anger simmered in him. He raised his fist and this time made contact with the apartment door.

_**-NCIS-**_

Sarah McGee finished drying her hair just as she heard a knock at the door. She hurriedly ran the brush through her chocolate colored locks and nervously smoothed down her pretty yellow dress. It was an expensive but old dress and it had been well taken care of. Tim had loved it the minute he saw her in it at the little dress shop she had dragged him to years ago now. He said she looked like a ray of sunshine in it. And while she still thought that it had been an incredibly corny thing to say it had been just the thing that Sarah needed to hear at the time. Her brother was like that. He always seemed to know what she needed the most and always strived to give it to her, even if it was only a few corny words. She hoped that tonight would go well. She also couldn't help but hope that tonight was only a prelude for things to come.

Tim never let anyone get close, not even as a boy. Always on his guard, always suspicious of other people. Her brother was a lonely man, never had any close friends. Except for Sarah, Tim had always been alone. He pretended that was the way he wanted it, but Sarah wanted more for her brother. She wanted him to have the family he so desperately dreamed of when he was younger. Sarah wanted her brother to have the father he had spun the tales about when she was a little girl and she would have cried herself to sleep without the fantasy dad who would make everything okay. Whenever Tim had dreamed dreams about Gibbs, he had always included her, always made sure she was a part of the wonderful family and home that only existed in the stories he told. The place where they were wanted. The place where they were loved. They were adults now and while they didn't need that fantasy world anymore, Sarah still wanted her brother to at least have an amicable relationship with the man who, while he didn't know it, had helped them both survive years of hell.

Sarah sighed, put the brush down and left the bathroom to go greet the first of their guests.

_**-NCIS-**_

Tim had finished putting the leaf in his table and was just putting the last of the silverware down when the first knock sounded. He threw a glance at the food cooking before heading to answer the knock. He couldn't help but sigh as he walked to his apartment door. The last place on Earth he wanted to be tonight was in this apartment surrounded by almost all his team.


	16. Chapter 16

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**_

_**-NCIS-**_

Jethro barked and wagged his tail enthusiastically as another person was admitted to Tim's apartment.

"Hey, Probie." Tony said, walking past Tim and into the living room. "Hey, Little Bit." He said to Sarah as he walked past her into the kitchen.

He had taken to calling her the nickname that only Tim had ever used before. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but she knew that Tim hated it. "Hey, Tony." She said, following Tony into the kitchen where he had already taken the seat he usually sat at when he was there. "Ice tea?" She asked, going to the refrigerator and taking out the pitcher that sat on the first shelf.

Tony glanced at his boss, who sat at across from him. Gibbs nodded at him as he took a drink from his own tea glass. "Hey, Boss." Tony said as he took his drink from Sarah.

Gibbs nodded at Tony. He couldn't help but wonder if everyone else was as uncomfortable as he was. It was not a feeling that he felt very often. A feeling that he wasn't used too. Gibbs and the McGee brother and sister had spent the ten minutes before Tony had shown up in silence. It was a good thing that Tony was there. His senior field agent was not one to languish in silence if he didn't have too.

"Something smells good." Tony said, looking in the direction of the two pie plates cooling on the cutting board beside the sink.

"Pecan pie." Sarah said following his eyes. "And no, you can't eat dessert before you have your supper." She added, sounding for the world like a disapproving mother.

"I'm a grown man, Sarah." Tony said in a disgruntled voice, not knowing whether to be insulted or flattered.

"Well, that's good then. You should be old enough to know that you need a good meal warming your stomach instead of filling it with junk."

Tony felt a warm feeling in the bottom of his stomach that had nothing to do with food. He couldn't remember the last time that anyone had cared what he ate. Well, there was Ducky, of course, but he cared from a medical point of view and not a ...sisters'? The thought that Sarah might have begun to care for him as a brother made the warmth spread throughout his whole body and a smile that could rival the sun's spread across his face, lightening his features and easing the permanent lines and creases that were etched on his forehead and around his eyes, causing him to look young, carefree and happy. Something that Tony DiNozzo hadn't been for a very long time.

Gibbs watched his second in command as a mix of emotions crossed his face and then a beaming smile came on Tony's face, and an uneasiness filled him. He opened his mouth, to say what he wasn't sure. Maybe warn Tony. Not to get too attached. Warn him that Sarah McGee already had a brother that she obviously adored and to not expect too much. Warn him that he was just setting himself up to be disappointed if he did. Warn him not to read too much into any kindness shown by either McGee. Warn him that the brother and sister came from the kind of solid, supportive family background that Tony had no knowledge of and the niceties that were displayed didn't mean as much to them as they did to Tony. But before he could say anything a knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get it." Tim said, leaving the kitchen, Jethro following close behind. He opened the door to find Ziva on the other side holding her contribution to the night's supper. He close the door behind her and led the way into the kitchen. Sarah took Ziva's burdens and Ziva went and sat at the table.

Tim stood in the kitchen archway, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He needed to go walk Jethro but he didn't want to leave Sarah with Tony and Gibbs, even if Ziva was here. While Tony had been to the apartment many times, Sarah had never actually been alone with Tony without Tim. Tim knew that he could trust Gibbs and Tony with Sarah, but a part of him still balked at leaving her alone with two men. He would take Sarah with him, but he didn't relish the idea of Tony in his apartment without him there. "I'm sorry to have to run out on you, but I need to take Jethro for a quick walk." He said finally. "Come on, Sarah."

"It takes both of you to walk one dog, Probie?" Tony asked before Sarah could move. This had been a problem before. It was like Tim didn't trust Sarah with Tony. The warmth that had been before was quickly replaced with coldness at the reminder that Tim thought he had to protect his sister from his team.

Gibbs felt anger simmer in him at the implication that Tim didn't want to leave his sister alone with them but he pushed it aside and remained silent in his seat.

Sarah saw the expressions on Gibbs and Tony's faces and shook her head at her brother. "I think I'll stay here, Tim."

Tim stared at her sister uneasily. "If you're sure." He said finally, well aware of the tension in the air. He knew that his team didn't understand his reluctance at leaving Sarah behind and he also knew that anything he said in explanation wouldn't come out right so he didn't say anything. When Sarah nodded he moved slowly to get Jethro's leash and quietly left his apartment.

After Tim left to walk his dog, Gibbs found his attention taken up with Sarah. He looked at the familiar looking young woman, and felt the vague sense of De Ja Vu that he'd gotten the first two times he'd seen Sarah McGee come over him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen her somewhere before. Ice blue eyes narrowed in concentration. But where? Gibbs searched his mind, trying to place her, and failed. Could Sarah remind him of someone? Maybe, but who?

Sarah noticed his scrutiny and shifted uneasily in her seat. "Is something wrong, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs came out of his daze and realized that he had probably been glaring at her. "No, Sarah." He said shaking his head and taking a drink of his tea. He grimaced at the taste and longed for a cup of coffee. He would have made himself a pot or gone in such of a cup but that would have defeated the purpose of him being there.

Tony hid a smirk behind his own glass from where he sat. He could tell that his boss was wishing for his ever present coffee. That he didn't get up and find himself some proved his commitment to this. Tony had had his doubts about Gibbs' ability to...how had Ducky put it? Oh, yeah-_**'he needs to show Timothy that he is a valued and important member of his team'**_. Gibbs was doing... well, he was at least _**trying—**_even if he was a little bit creepy at it—and that was more than Tony had thought he would do.

"Um, Agent Gibbs?" Sarah said nervously.

Gibbs shook his head when he realized that he had been staring at her _**again**_. "Yeah?" Gibbs tried to take some of the bite that was usually there out of his tone. "I know I'm staring, but you look very familiar to me." He was very uncomfortable explaining himself to her but figured that this was just another consideration that he had to give to keep his team together.

"Perhaps you have seen a picture of her mother somewhere, Gibbs." Ziva said from her place beside Tony. "Tim says that Sarah looks a lot like their mother and that she is a good artist. It is possible that Gibbs has seen her somewhere before, yes?" Ziva directed towards Sarah.

Sarah froze, then forced herself to relax, hoping in vane that none of them had noticed. "I don't think that Agent Gibbs could have seen a picture of my mother, Ziva." Sarah said, quietly. It was true—she didn't think Gibbs had seen a picture of their mother.

"Then maybe he has seen her somewhere, yes?" Ziva persisted. Ziva saw fear flash across Sarah's face as she shrugged her shoulders mutely. Ziva didn't understand what Sarah was afraid of. That Gibbs had seen her mother somewhere before? Ziva stiffened as the clues she had gathered from questioning and observing the brother and sister started to form a frightening possibility. One that she sincerely hoped was wrong.

Gibbs stiffened, a memory trying to force it's way to the surface from the information Ziva had given. It was right there...

"I can make some coffee with supper if you like, Agent Gibbs." Sarah said, standing up and moving to the coffee maker without waiting for his answer, thankful for something to keep her occupied for a few seconds. "I usually make some with dessert anyway." She said with a shrug. Gibbs had surprised Sarah when he had accepted a glass of ice tea. Tim had told Sarah about Gibbs love of coffee, along with everything else that he discovered about him. Sarah had always liked the fact that Tim _**shared**_ Gibbs with her. Tim told her all the little quirks that he noticed, all the information he gleaned from whatever sources he could. Tim had even shown her Gibbs' house and had taken her to Stillwater one weekend not to long after that case they had had there. She hadn't been able to meet Tim's grandfather, but she had been able to see the town where Gibbs had grown up and had seen Jackson's' store.

Gibbs shook his head again, the memory lost. He started to make a token protest but stopped and raised one silver eyebrow when Sarah opened a overhead cabinet and took down a bag of dark roast Colombian blend coffee—the exact same kind that resided in one of his own cabinets at his place. The eyebrow went even higher when he noticed that she added a bit of cinnamon to the mix before turning the coffee maker on. His mother had done the same thing when she was alive. She said that it brought out the flavor more—'_**made it pop'—**_were her exact words. She used to cradle her cup in her hands and just _**breathe**_ in the aroma before savoring her first sip.

Sarah noticed the raised eyebrow and the questioning look on Gibbs' face when she turned around, cinnamon still in her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs." She said, looking down at the cinnamon. "I'm so used to making coffee for Tim, I just didn't think. I—I'll start over." She said, turning back around.

"No, that's alright." Gibbs said quickly, stopping her. Sarah turned to stare at him in shock. Gibbs noticed that she wasn't the only one.

Sarah shifted from foot to foot. "You'll like it made this way, Agent Gibbs." She said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "Tim says that it brings out the flavor more. It just makes it.."

"Pop." Gibbs and Sarah said in unison, causing Tony and Ziva to stare from one of the other.

_**-NCIS-**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**_

_**-NCIS-**_

Gibbs shifted in his chair under the stares of his agents. "My...mother used to say the same thing." He said, staring into Sarah's brown eyes.

An awkward silence followed his statement.

Sarah stood, wringing her hands. She wanted,_**so much**_, to jump on his admission, to ask questions. Questions about his childhood, his parents, his..._**life.**_ Thousands upon thousands of questions. Things that Tim hadn't found out in his research. Things that her brother wanted to know. _**Deserved**_ to know. But she knew instinctively that they wouldn't be answered.

Tony was stunned speechless. He had never heard his boss speak about his mother before. He wanted Gibbs to keep talking; to reveal something else but he didn't. And Tony didn't ask. He knew that the team leader wouldn't take kindly to being questioned.

Ziva looked from Sarah to Gibbs and suddenly she didn't want to know what she thought she knew. Because, knowing what she knew meant knowing that if this secret ever came out, it would change things. And not necessarily for the better. Ziva decided, right then, that she would ask no more questions of the brother and sister; she would dig no further into the past of the McGees'. And she would never mention her suspicions to anyone. She didn't know why her friend would want to keep something like this a secret but she would do her best to make sure that it did remain a secret for as long as it possibly could. Ziva strangled the voice in her head that said that this secret was already on its way to being known.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the apartment door open and Tim came back with Jethro, followed by two others. She looked expectantly to the kitchen archway after handing Gibbs a mug of the freshly brewed coffee.

Tim waked into the kitchen with an older man who Sarah recognized as Dr. Mallard from the picture that her brother had of the whole team, followed closely by Jimmie Palmer.

Tim's moss-green eyes immediately went to his sister, checking her over. It did not go unnoticed but no one commented this time about the obvious lack of trust.

"Sarah, I'd like you to meet Ducky Mallard." Tim introduced. "Ducky, my sister, Sarah." There was no disguising the pride in his voice. Ducky held his hand out and Sarah stepped to shake it. "A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Mallard. Tim talks bout you often." She said with a smile. She turned to the younger man beside Ducky.

"And this is Jimmie Palmer, his assistant." Tim said. "Jimmie, my sister."

"Pleased to meet you." Jimmie said, shaking her hand.

"Please, sit down." Sarah said, waving a hand toward the dining table.

Jimmie took a seat beside Tony and Ducky sat down next to Gibbs. While Sarah went to get supper on the table, Ducky started on a story, happy to have a big audience, not to mention a _**live**_ one.

"I made coffee, Tim." Sarah said, lifting the pot of spaghetti to drain it. Tim had gotten into the habit of drinking coffee on the evenings that Tony and Ziva came to eat with them. The spaghetti drained, she put it into a bowl and sat it on the table then put the salad next to Ziva's dressing. Without being asked, Ziva had already got drinks for the last two guests to arrive. Sarah went to get the sauce off the burner where it had been warming but her brother beat her to it, lifting it and pouring it in the bowl that she indicated. "Do you want coffee with the meal or with dessert?" She asked Tim as she took the garlic bread out of the oven. "I think I'll have some with supper." He answered and moved to the coffee maker before his sister could.

Gibbs had been listening to his old friend ramble on, for once not interrupting, tuned him out, McGee having caught his attention.

Tim stood in front of the counter where his red coffee maker sat, so lost in his own world he was completely oblivious to the others around him. He had his favorite coffee mug cradled gently in his hands, his moss-green eyes were closed and his head was bent slightly as he inhaled deeply of the aromatic aroma.

Gibbs froze where he sat, something disturbing about that stance. There was something hauntingly familiar about the way McGee's eyelashes lay on those high cheekbones. McGee opened his eyes then and a tingle went up Gibbs spine. He shivered as the feeling of someone just having walked over his grave came over him. Suddenly, he was transported to another time and another place, where a different set of those exact moss-green eyes had looked out of a face that was disturbingly similar to his agents'. Gibbs pressed his palms flat on the table as a thought started in the back of his mind but he clamped down on it before it could even be half-formed and he pushed it into the back of his mind, blaming Abby for putting such a far-fetched idea in his head.

"Uh, boss?" Tim asked uncertainly, having noticed Gibbs scrutiny. "Is there something wrong?"

Gibbs forced himself to relax into his chair, the tension leaving his body. "No." He said shortly, still a little unsettled.

Tim nodded, a little unsure.

Gibbs noticed that everyone was looking at him a little funny and he shifted uneasily in his seat, the feeling he wanted to be anywhere but here intensifying. "Let's eat!" He growled out, not liking the feeling of being under a microscope.

Tim, Sarah, and Ziva hurriedly sat down at the table. It was a tight squeeze, even with the leaf that Tim had put in. Abby's absence was glaringly obvious with the way everyone were squashed the way they were, but no one felt comfortable with mentioning it. The food was dished up and everyone had started eating, no one saying anything.

Sarah shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She wished someone would say something! Even Tony was being uncharacteristically quiet. She had wanted this chance to get to know everyone, but especially Gibbs. But now that it was here she just didn't know how to go about doing it. Sarah sighed, pushing her food around on her plate, her stomach churning too much to eat.

Tim cast a worried glance at his sister. The minute shake of her head didn't do anything to alleviate his concern. He knew this supper had been a bad idea! The silence grew as did Sarah's uneasiness. It was to much to hope for that it would go unnoticed.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Ducky asked, turning in his chair to Sarah.

Sarah stopped pushing her food around and looked up. "No, Doctor. I'm fine." The tone of her voice said that she was anything but fine.

Tim caught Ducky's eyes and gave a shake of his head, silently imploring him to just let it go.

Ziva couldn't help but compare this evening with the loud, laughing, evenings she and Tony had spent recently with the McGee brother and sister.

Tony searched his mind for something, anything, to say. He couldn't remember a time that he was at a loss for words but that time was now. He couldn't come up with _**anything**_!

Gibbs cleared his throat. "How is that program you were telling me about coming along, Tim?" He asked, breaking the silence. He hadn't really paid that much attention when Tim had blabbered on about it the other day; mostly because he didn't really understand 99.9% of what Tim said most of the time. Gibbs figured that while he might not understand what the kid was talking about, it didn't mean that he couldn't listen. And just listening to what Tim had to say without getting impatient and snapping at him was a good way of showing that Tim was appreciated. At least he hoped it was. If anyone expected him to ask questions and then apply the answers they would be sadly mistaken. "Is it almost finished?"

Tony pounced on the question like a man dying of thirst. "Yes,Probie, tell us about it! What is it for? How does is work? What does it do?" The questions came out of his mouth,eagerly, one right after the other, not giving them a chance to be answered.

"Yes, lad, do tell us." Ducky said just as eagerly.

"Yeah, Tim,"Jimmy said. "I'm interested in how it will pertain to..."

Tim tuned Jimmy out as he looked at everyone, all tense, waiting for him to tell all about a computer program that he had wrote that Tim knew no one had the slightest bit of interest in. Anger filled him. He couldn't understand why they kept doing this! "Alright!" Tim yelled, startling everyone. "That's it!" He exclaimed, pushing himself away from the table. "Whatever's going on," He said, shaking a finger at each member of Team Gibbs. "it has to stop! I don't know what's going on, but it needs to end!" He glared at everyone but his sister. "Now!"


	18. Chapter 18

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**_

_**-NCIS-**_

Each member of Team 'Gibbs' looked at each other then at Tim.

"Uh, Probie," Tony said tentatively, blinking at him.

"Don't look at me like that!" Tim exploded. "You know what I'm talking about!"

No one else tried to say anything, just looked at Tim uncomprehendingly.

Tim threw his hands up and started to pace. "I want to know what's going on with all of you! Why has Tony stopped putting me down and now bringing me hangover cures? Why is Ziva asking questions about my family and about my childhood and suddenly bringing me coffee and stuff like that? Why are you all wanting to spend time with me outside of work!" Tim stopped in the middle of his pacing and swung towards the table where everyone sat. "Why are you calling me Tim and acting like you're interested in my work?" He asked Gibbs. "You've never been interested before!" Tim seemed to deflate. "I don't understand." He said, shaking his head. "I just don't understand."

Gibbs tried his best not to glare at the junior agent. To him, Tim was being ungrateful of the attention that everyone was giving him. _**Honestly**_, did he not realize how much effort it took not to get up and walk away when he started blathering on about some computer thing or another? Come on! He was trying here! Gibbs couldn't believe that the kid was actually giving him grief about it! "I'm interested now, McGee." Gibbs said, having to force the words out in a completely non-mocking tone. It was a lot harder to do than Gibbs thought it would be. Had he spent so long mocking people that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be sincere? He saw McGee's skeptical look and winced, giving a silent 'yes' to the question he had just asked himself. "Isn't that enough, McGee?"

No, it wasn't. Because Tim couldn't shake the feeling that when the interest he had started to show became inconvenient for him, it would fade away.

Ziva glanced around the table, noticing the same astonished looks on everyone's faces that she was sure she wore. "I—" She stopped, unsure of what she could say to make him understand that all she wanted was to get to know him and Sarah without letting him know what she thought she knew. "I just want to really know you, Timothy. We are family, yes? Is that not what family does?"

Tony saw the skeptical look on his Probie's face and decided it was time for him to speak. "We're just trying to be nice to you, Tim. Can't you just accept that?"

Tim took a step toward Tony, and opened his mouth, ready to blast him. Ready to tell him—tell everyone—what happened the last time people had tried to be 'nice' to him. Pretended to care about him. He wanted to tell them about the nice couple that wouldn't even give him the time of day until they had found out about Sarah, kind of like how they were doing now. He wanted to tell them how stupid he had been, how he had let them get past his defenses. He wanted to yell at his team about how the 'nice' couple had pretended to want to help him keep Sarah safe at night while he worked in back-breaking drudgery to support them—to do what a parent should have been doing. He wanted to tell them how he had been patheticly grateful for even the slightest bit of attention they had given him while they lavished attention on Sarah. He wanted to tell them about the signs he had failed to recognize at sixteen. He wanted to tell them about his foolishness in believing that they cared for him and Sarah. Tim wanted to tell them about the night that still haunted him. The night that, to this day, both him and Sarah still had nightmares about. Tim closed his eyes tightly as images flooded his mind before he could stop them. A younger Sarah, a shattered look on her face, her pretty dress that he had had to save for months to afford to buy her, ruined, her thighs bloodied from her lost innocence, a body surrounded by a pool of blood with a knife sticking out of its chest and the screams—he had to fight not to press his hands over his ears—the screams that he could still hear, even now, after so many years. He wanted so much to share this burden with them. To make them understand _**why**_ their sudden change—even though it was something he had wanted for a long time—bothered him so much. He opened his eyes and stared at the members of Team Gibbs.

Tim wanted to tell them about the first time that he had failed his sister.

He was going to—hadn't really thought about the consequences of doing so—when he caught sight of Sarah's frantic doe eyes and he stopped. That time was something that they had never spoken of to anyone. He had told Sarah many times that the shame wasn't hers—she had only been a child—but _**his, **_because he was the one that had trusted the wrong people and had failed to protect her. And the shame was _**theirs—**_because they are the ones who took advantage of her innocence. But Sarah was still ashamed. She might not had been if she had had counseling but how could he have sent her to that? Even if the money hadn't been a problem, how could she had been helped when she couldn't tell everything that had happened?

Tim's eyes widened, he was suddenly horrified at what he'd been about to reveal and _**who**_ he had been about to reveal it too.

"They're trying to make amends, Tim." Sarah said in a shaky voice, silently pleading with her brother. "Can't you give them this chance?"

All emotion left him and he deflated, shoulders slumping his chin falling to his chest. "You don't know what you're asking, Sarah." He said quietly in despair. Didn't she know? Didn't she know what it would do to him if he trusted the wrong people and she got hurt again because of his stupidity? Didn't she understand what it would do him if he let them in and they ended up turning their back on him again? Didn't she understand? Tim raised his grass-green eyes to his sister's face and saw that she did know what she was asking of him. She understood why he was so reluctant but it didn't matter because Sarah truly believed that everything would be fine in the end and she was imploring him to believe it, too.

Ducky watched the silent exchange. He was starting to become suspicious and he didn't like what he was suspicious about. Ducky Mallard had been a doctor for a very long time, some of that time spent in war zones. He could recognize the signs of trauma. He looked at the McGee brother and sister—babies compared to him—and wondered what had happened to these obviously bright and kind children who he cared so much about that had destroyed Tim's trust so completely.

Jimmy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. There was something going on here that he wasn't privy too and while being kept in the dark really didn't bother him it made him uneasy to witness a moment between his friend and his friend's sister that should have been private.

"Sarah is asking you to forgive us, yes?" Ziva said after a long while of silence. "She, as do we, know that you won't forget but you can forgive, yes?''

"We don't want you to forget, Probie." Tony said, softly, sincerely. "We want you to remember and give us this chance so that we can show you that we will do so much better by you than we've ever done before."

_**-NCIS-**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**_

_**~NCIS~**_

That night, long after everyone had left, Tim tossed and turned in his bed. His mind was in turmoil. After Tony's words, Tim had studied each of them, trying to gauge their sincerity. Gibbs hadn't said anything else but Tim hadn't expected him too. He knew that Gibbs had passed his comfort zone long before. Tony and Ziva, too, when it came down to it.

They had asked for a chance. Could he give it to them? Did he owe it to them? Was he being to sensitive about all this? It hadn't been all bad. There had been times—not many, but a few—when they had shown they cared. Tony coming to talk to him when he had shot Benedict; Ziva telling him about Tony pretending to be a woman over the internet, Gibbs returning his badge to him after he'd quit over Sarah. There were more, too, they didn't outweigh the bad, but they were there. They proved, that while he may be an afterthought most of the time, they did still think about him. Didn't he owe it to his team—his _**father—**_to give them this chance that they had asked for? He wondered guiltily.

A horrible thought occurred to Tim and he bolted up. Did he really have a choice? What would happen if he said no? Would they make him leave? A myriad of emotions filled him—confusion, worry, fear. He didn't want to leave yet. He wasn't ready! He wanted more time with Gibbs! Tim ran his hand through his dirty-blond hair, sitting on the side of his bed, and forced himself to calm down. Why was he panicking? Hadn't he already decided when Tony came that first night that he was going pretend? So that was what he would do. He would pretend. Then he would get his time with Gibbs.

_**~NCIS~**_

_**ONE YEAR LATER...**_

Gibbs looked up when the elevator dinged and watched as Sarah McGee stepped out in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. Her long brown hair was pulled away from her pretty face and she wore no makeup. She had become a frequent visitor to the bullpen over the last year, showing up for lunch with various members of the team. He had even had lunch with the young lady in question once or twice himself when everyone else had gotten busy. Sarah had ran errands and even dropped off home cooked meals a few times on long cases. Gibbs had to admit that Sarah was a good cook and the team was actually in better shape thanks to her pampering.

Gibbs gave her a nod when she waved and shot him a smile as she walked to her brother's desk. He watched as Tim stood up to greet his sister. Gibbs tuned the brother and sister out as the uneasiness that he always felt whenever he saw the McGee's together came over him. He had the feeling of having missed something. That somehow, something was passing him by. Almost as if his gut was trying to tell him something? That was part of the reason he had always kept a distance between McGee and him. He'd had this feeling since meeting him. It drove him crazy because he didn't know why he felt like that.

Gibbs shook the feeling off and turned his attention back to his work. He had a meeting soon with Leon to coordinate a operation with Balboa's team and the DEA to close a drug ring working out of marine bases. He already had a bad feeling about this. He wanted every angle to be examined so that everything could go as smoothly as possible.

Tony watched from his desk as Tim and Sarah argued good- naturedly about where to go for lunch. Things had changed in the last year. For the better. It had been hard going at first. It had taken a long time for Tim to finally begin to trust them and they weren't all the way there yet, but there was no doubt in Tony's mind that they would get there.

"Are you ready to go, Tony?" Sarah called the short distance to his desk, apparently having won the argument.

Tony looked up in confusion. "I thought you wanted it to be just you and your brother, little bit."

Sarah had gotten used to Tony using the name only Tim had ever called her before and it now gave her a warm feeling whenever he used it. She gave Tony a blinding smile. "No, I said, that I would like it to be me and my _brother__**sss**_." She corrected, empathizing the s. Sarah walked to where Tony sat and pulled on his arm until he stood up.

Tony was deeply touched. It was the first time that either McGee had named him family, even though he had made a few references here and there.

"Did you really think we were going to leave you here just because everyone else was to busy to join us?" She asked, giving him a look. "We would never do that, Tony." She gently admonished. "We would never exclude you." She looked over to where Tim stood. "Would we, Tim?"

Tony had a moment of uncertainty when Tim didn't automatically answer.

The grin that Tim rewarded him with eased his mind. "Of course not. That's not something family does to one another."

Tony looked down into Sarah's grinning face, his lips curved into a soft smile. Warmth flooded his whole body. Hearing that Tim considered him family meant more to him then anyone would ever understand. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like to be a part of a family. If this was what it was like for Sarah and Tim. He had never been a part of a _**real**_ family, like Tim and Sarah. Tony had been alone since before his thirteenth birthday. Maybe he would ask them one day.

"Come on!" Sarah exclaimed, linking arms with Tony and pulling him to where Tim stood so she could link arms with Tim. "Let's go! I'm starving!"

Tim let himself be pulled along and let out a laugh of pure happiness. Life had never been like this before. Not even in his dreams could he have imagined that life could be...happy. He had never known what it was like to wake up and look forward to the day. He grinned when Sarah let out a tinkling laugh at something Tony had said and looked forward to many more days like today.

Sarah's carefree laugh drifted back and Gibbs looked up, smiling as the three young people disappeared into the elevator arm in arm. Gibbs stiffened and the smile faded from his lips as he stared at the metal doors long after they closed, an ominous feeling washing over him as his gut churned. Why did he suddenly feel like this would be the last time that he would see them like that? Why did he suddenly feel like this would be the last time he would see them happy? Why was his gut telling him that everything was about to change?

_**~NCIS~**_

_Two days later..._

'911 What is your emergency?'

'I need an ambulance! My partner's been stabbed!...'

_**~NCIS~**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! **_

_**I know that this chapter has already gone out once but I made a mistake somehow and some of the chapter didn't get added. Sorry.**_

~NCIS~

"_Tony!"_

Tony looked up when he heard his name; just in time to brace himself before Sarah tackled him and buried her face in his chest. His arms closed around her tightly, and he looked helplessly at Ziva, who had come in behind her.

"Do you know anything yet?" Ziva asked, eyes dry though red, her hair disheveled.

Tony shook his head. "They're still working on him." He had to force the words out past the lump in his throat. What else he was going to say he couldn't get out. Not only because Sarah was in his arms, but saying it would make it real and what if saying it somehow brought bad luck to his Probie?

"What—What happened, Tony?" Sarah asked in a watery voice.

Tony shook his head even though there was no way she could see it. He couldn't talk about what happened. The images were still fresh in his mind and he knew he would be seeing that man come out of the shadows and stick a huge blade in Tim's back for a long time to come, but he couldn't bring himself to put words to those images. "I can't, Sarah." He managed to get out, his voice strangled. "Not now."

Sarah pulled away to search his face, noticing the anguish etched into it. "Okay, Tony." Sarah said softly. Sarah pulled away, looking around. "Where's Gibbs?" She asked a little wildly. "He should be here! He's Tim's—" She clamped her lips together, cutting herself off abruptly, a horrified look on her white face. "His boss." She finished in a quiet voice. "Gibbs is Tim's boss."

To Tony and Ziva's credit, they were too worried about their partner and friend to be to concerned about Sarah's strange behavior.

"Gibbs went to pick up Abby at the Navy yard. Jimmy is going to take..._care_... of the guy that—'' Tony stopped, the lump in his throat suddenly larger. "The guy that..." He still couldn't get it out.

"The man who hurt your brother." Ziva finished for Tony.

Tony closed his eyes tight as he saw again, his friend, his brother, turn back to say something to Tony—what he couldn't remember—and the drug dealer come out of the shadows behind him. He never stood a chance. By the time Tony had got his mouth open to warn Tim, the man had already slipped the blade into his lower back—Tony wouldn't know until he got close enough to see the wound that it was close to Tim's spine—Tony could only watch in horror as Tim slowly crumpled to the ground. His distraction had lasted only a moment before he had raised his weapon and took out the man that knifed Tim. When Tony had got a look at the wound, so close to Tim's spine, he had wished that he could bring the drug dealer back to life so he could kill him again. Tony pulled away from Sarah and looked down at his hands, rubbing them together. He could still see red from where he had put pressure on Tim's wound to try to staunch the flow of blood. He had washed his hands as soon as he had watched his Probie's stretcher disappear behind authorized personnel closed doors but he couldn't get the blood off. "It won't come off." Tony whispered without realizing he was speaking out loud. "I try and try but it won't come off." Tony rubbed his hands together harder.

"Tony."

He kept rubbing his hands, trying to get the nonexistent blood off.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed, grabbing his hands. "Stop!"

Tony looked at Ziva. "Help me get it off, Ziva. Please help me get the blood off." There was a slightly hysterical edge to his voice that not only worried Ziva but Sarah as well.

Ziva looked into Tony's eyes. "There's nothing there, Tony." She said softly. "Your hands are clean."

Tony's eyes dropped from Ziva's face to their hands. He tried to pull his away so that he could try to get the blood off but Ziva held them firmly.

"They are clean, Tony." She insisted gently.

Tony looked at his hands then back at Ziva. He nodded and swallowed thickly.

Whatever else that would have been said was lost as Abby and Gibbs arrived. The Abby that walked into the waiting room was a slightly different Abby then the one that Sarah remembered. She was more subdued, less frenetic. Although Tim and Abby had managed to obtain some semblance of a working relationship and were trying to repair their friendship, Sarah had not forgiven the lab rat and refused to show up to activities that included her. To see Abby here now did _not _set well with Sarah. At all.

"Any word?" Gibbs asked, coming to a stop at where the other stood. He had not been pleased at sending the ambulance that carried two of his agents to the hospital but it couldn't be helped. He was team leader and he had helped to plan the operation so he had to stay behind and coordinate everything. After he had finished at the crime scene, Gibbs had had to go back to NCIS. It had taken forever to finally get everything sorted out. By that time, Gibbs had regressed to growls and one word answers. Vance was glad to see the back of him. Gibbs had managed to step on more toes in that short amount of time then most other agents in their whole career.

"No, Boss." Tony answered. "Not yet."

Gibbs managed to stop the growl that wanted to leave him, but it was a close thing. He turned away from his team and Sarah. He honestly didn't know what was wrong with him! He hadn't expected that McGee getting hurt would throw him for the loop that it had. "Where's Ducky?" He asked, turning back around.

"They let him observe Tim's surgery." Tony answered, being the only one who knew where he was.

"Good." Gibbs said, nodding his head. "That's good." He clenched his fists. Why did he feel as he did when Kelly had died? When he thought Tony had died after his car had blown up? When he thought Ziva had died? Why did it feel like he was losing another child? He couldn't understand his own feelings. Gibbs pushed everything away to think about later and turned back around to look at Tony. "How did it look?" Gibbs asked. He knew the whereabouts of Tim's injury but he hadn't seen it because Tony had his hands covering it.

Tony shook his head. "Boss..." His voice was strangled. He turned pleading eyes to Gibbs, begging him silently to not make him say it out loud.

Gibbs stared at his senior field agent for a long moment before clapping a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Tony."

Tony nodded without saying anything and looked down at his hands, clamping his eyes shut when he saw his hands pressed tightly to the knife wound in his partner's back, while red liquid pulsed through them and Tim moaned in pain. Tony swallowed hard to keep the nausea at bay. Tony silently prayed to a God he wasn't sure he believed in that his little brother would be okay.

Abby watched everything with tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say to these people who looked like her friends but were acting so unlike themselves.

Sarah watched Tony and fear consumed her. She knew that it had to be bad if he couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

Ziva started to pace. She decided to let Gibbs handle Tony. She knew that he needed gentle hands and she could not do that right now. Not when she was so emotional. She did not do well with emotions, especially her own.

The time passed slowly, everyone feeling as if they lived a lifetime in every minute, until finally Ducky appeared in the doorway, looking exhausted.

Ducky had only observed Timothy's surgery, but it had been touch and go so many times, leaving him on the edge of his seat—so to speak—that he felt like he was the one performing it! He stood there unspeaking for so long that everyone assumed the worst.

"Duck?" Gibbs questioned softly.

"He's stable, Jethro."

There were five sighs of relief and then everyone seemed to talk at once.

"When can we see him?" Abby and Sarah said together

"Stable? What does that mean?" Gibbs asked harshly.

"What—what about his legs, Ducky?" Tony asked hesitantly.

Ziva muttered what Ducky thought was a prayer under her breath. "He's in recovery. You can see him just as soon as he's moved to a room." He said to Abby and Sarah. "Stable means that, barring no complications, he should recover just fine." He directed towards Jethro. "The blade missed anything vital, Tony. While there was some concern by the proximity, the knife didn't hit his spinal cord. They've repaired the internal damage and right now the only real concern is the large blood loss. For that, Timothy is receiving a transfusion." Ducky's stern glance encompassed all of them. "Now I suggest a break for all of you." He held up a hand to stall the protests he could see forming. "Go get something to eat. By the time you get back he should be moved into a room." Ducky saw the mutinous glares he was getting but didn't back down. Finally, the younger people started to trail out reluctantly, leaving Jethro the only one remaining. "You too, Jethro."

Gibbs started to argue but Ducky interrupted before he could. "At least take a walk and stretch your legs." He didn't wait to see if his friend would take his advice. Ducky knew that he probably wouldn't. Ducky walked down to the nurse's station to use the phone. He needed to call his assistant. Jimmy had handled the work himself so that Ducky could come to the hospital. Jimmy deserved the courtesy of being told that his friend would recover.

~_NCIS~_

Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Tim. He had talked with Dr. Mallard, of course, but he just couldn't believe that everything was going to be fine until he saw his friend. Jimmy moved to the end of the bed, picked up Tim's chart and started to thumb through it.

It was such a simple thing. Something that he had done a number of times when members of Team Gibbs' had been injured. Mostly to Tony. For some reason it seemed that Tony was the one that got injured the most. It wasn't done to discover any secret. Jimmy had never had a chance to read one of Tim's charts before. He read the prognosis and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his friend was going to be fine. He had heard what the doctor had said but there was nothing like seeing it for himself. Jimmy was closing the chart when something at the top of the page caught his eye. He stared at the page for what felt like an eternity, confused. Jimmy closed his eyes and opened them, hoping that he had just read the information wrong. "It's just a mistake. That's all." He muttered, staring at the page. "It has to be a mistake." Even as he said it, he knew that it wasn't a mistake.

"What's a mistake?"

Jimmy swung around to find a nurse behind him. "Oh! Um, there's a mistake on this chart. His blood type is 0." He distinctly remembered Abby saying that Tim's blood type was garden variety 0 that day in the bullpen... That Tim had hacked the database and _shown _her... Why would someone lie about their blood type? The blood drained from his face at the implications of his last thought. He handed the chart to the nurse when she reached for it and prayed that it _was_ just a mistake.

"No." The nurse said, shaking her head. "See?" She said, pointing at something on the top of the page. "He was typed as soon as he was brought in. That's the correct blood type."

She said something else but Jimmy couldn't here her because of the roaring in his ears. He became dizzy and honestly thought for a minute that he was going to pass out. Timothy McGee was Gibbs son!

~_NCIS~_


	21. Chapter 21

_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!_

_~NCIS~_

The nurse left after handing Jimmy back Tim's chart but he took no notice, just stood there in shock. He slowly turned to the unconscious man on the bed, eyes wide in disbelief. "Tim." He said, softly. "Oh, Tim..."

"Is he awake, Jimmy?" Sarah asked as she came into the room, hurrying to her brother's side. She had heard Jimmy say Tim's name and hoped that her brother might be awake even though the doctor had said that he would drift in and out for the night. Jimmy looked at her and she couldn't identify the expression on his face. "Jimmy?"

"How could you and Tim do this, Sarah?" He asked finally, the chart still in his hands. "Did you really think this would never come out?" He looked at Tim, then at Sarah, as if he had never seen them before. It felt like he didn't even know them. The Tim McGee he thought he knew would never have been able to do something like this. And Jimmy would have said the same about the sister he had come to know the last year. Now they were strangers to him. "Did you and Tim think you could keep this a secret forever?" He couldn't keep the betrayal out of his voice. If he felt this betrayed by Tim and Sarah, how was Tony going to feel? How was _Gibbs_?

Sarah was afraid. Very afraid. "I don't know what you're talking about." She blurted out. Later she would chastise herself for not being able to come up with a better defense. But now she was just horrified that Tim's secret might be out.

Jimmy shook his head, not even bothering to pretend to believe her. "How could you do this to Gibbs?" He asked in disbelief. "For twenty years that man has mourned his daughter. Did Tim even consider that knowing he had another child might help him? Might ease his heartache?"

"I—I don't know what you're talking about." Sarah said in a quiet voice.

A look of horror came onto Jimmy's face. "Or does he have _two_ children who could have helped him?" He asked, dark blue eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "Why does Gibbs get so unsettled when he sees you? Why are you so familiar to him?" Jimmy took a step toward Sarah. "Are you his daughter, Sarah?"

"Of course not!" She denied swiftly as she processed the fact that Tim's secret was out and she didn't know what to do. Tell him that it was a mistake? Would Jimmy believe that? Her eyes dropped to the chart in his hands. Something in Tim's medical chart gave his secret away. Could she get it away from Jimmy and change it? Would she even know what it was? Tim would know. All she had to do was get the chart, convince Jimmy that whatever it was that he knew wasn't true, wait for Tim to wake up so that he could change whatever it was that Jimmy saw and everything would be fine. Very easy. Sarah almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of that plan. "Jimmy..." She whispered, reaching out for Tim's chart. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Sarah just knew that she had to do _something_.

Jimmy clasped the chart to his chest, stepping back to keep it out of reach. "What? Are you going to do to me what you did to Abby?" He asked, his voice shaking with his anger. "Are you going to twist this around and make me the bad guy so yours and Tim's secret stays safe?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She was starting to feel like a parrot. But one of the things that her brother had taught her from a very young age was to never admit to _anything_. It didn't matter what people thought they knew or even what they _actually_ knew. It only mattered what you admitted to. Sarah had learned her lessons well. She denied everything. The only person she ever told the truth to was her brother.

"Dammit, Sarah!" Jimmy exploded. "Stop saying that! You do know what I'm talking about!"

Sarah jumped, startled, and her doe eyes widened. She had never heard Jimmy cuss before and he had never talked to her in that tone of voice. She backed away from him, suddenly afraid for a different reason.

Jimmy saw the fear in her eyes and tried to clamp down on his anger. He wanted answers and he wouldn't get them if she was to afraid to talk. When he thought about this later he would find it laughable that anyone would be afraid of him. "Sarah..." He started, in a gentle voice.

"You're wrong." She said, shaking her head and taking a step back. "Whatever it is you're thinking, you're wrong. It's not true." She denied, backing up until she stood against the two drawer stand that was beside Tim's bed. "It's a mistake. That's all. It's just a mistake, Jimmy." She said, pleading with him to believe her. She wrapped her fingers around the side of her brother's bed, holding tightly.

Jimmy's anger left him, and for some reason sadness took it's place. "I know it's not a mistake, Sarah."

He said softly, feeling bad for her. She was very scared, even he could see that and he wasn't the most observant of people. What he didn't understand was why. Yes, this was a big secret that he had discovered and everyone would be mad and upset, especially about the way they had blamed Abby, but to him, it shouldn't cause that level of fear in anyone. Was there more going on here that he didn't know about?

"It is a mistake!" She insisted frantically, a slight hysterical note edging into her voice. "It is!"

"What's a mistake?"

Jimmy and Sarah swung their heads towards the voice to see that the others had come in without their hearing them, as caught as they had been in their argument.

Sarah whimpered without realizing it, turning until her back was pressed against Tim's bed, hiding him from sight.

Tony was the first to break from the others, Sarah's fear calling to the big brother in him. "What's wrong, Little Bit?" He asked gently, stopping when she backed away from him, worried. Sarah hadn't been afraid of him like that in a long time. He turned to Jimmy angrily. "What did you do to her?" He hissed at the autopsy gremlin.

Jimmy blinked. "Me!" He asked incredulously. "_I_ haven't done anything!" He said, making sure that everyone knew the blame didn't need to be placed on him.

Tony narrowed his moss green eyes, his investigative side tingling."What do you mean by that?" He asked Jimmy. "What's going on here?" He looked between Jimmy and Sarah. "What are you so afraid of, Sarah? Is something wrong with Tim? What do you think is a mistake?"

Sarah cast a scared glance at Jimmy, silently begging him to not say anything. Pleading with him to keep their secret. She turned big frightened eyes back to Tony and shook her head mutely.

"Jimmy?" Tony inquired when it became apparent that he wasn't going to get any answers out of Sarah.

"Yes, Mister Palmer." Ducky said, coming to stand beside Tony. "What is going on?"

Jimmy's blue eyes honed in on Gibbs and then suddenly found the floor of Tim's room interesting. He hadn't really had a chance to think about what he had found out. Not really. He had just got done talking to the nurse when Sarah walked in. But even if he had the chance to think about this for days, he knew that he wouldn't want to be the one to tell this secret. Jimmy truly believed that the secret needed to come out, he just didn't believe that he should be the one to tell it.

"Now would be the time to talk, Palmer." Gibbs said, his gut churning. He knew instinctively that he didn't want to hear whatever it was that Jimmy and Sarah obviously didn't want to tell them.

Jimmy shook his head. He shouldn't be the one to tell Gibbs that Tim was his son.

Abby stepped closer. "If something is wrong with Tim, we need to know."

Ziva moved to the other side of the bed so that she could see Tim for herself. "If there has been a mistake made then it needs to be corrected as soon as possible, yes?" Ziva relaxed slightly when she noticed the rise and fall of Tim's chest. He was breathing on his own. That was a good sign,yes?

Jimmy eyed the group surrounding him and swallowed nervously. He opened his mouth, to say what he didn't know.

"It's not a mistake." The same light brown haired nurse from before said, coming to where Jimmy stood. "I've already explained that we typed him as soon as he came in." She took Tim's chart from his unresisting hands and opened it. "This is the correct blood type." She pointed to the top of the first page. She handed the book back to Jimmy, checked her patient and walked out, unaware of what she had done or what she was leaving behind.

Everyone stood there in silence, looking at each other in confusion.

It was Ducky, for all his absent-mindedness, who got it first. And as soon as he understood, he wished he didn't. His eyes flew to the man laying asleep in the bed and then turned slightly horrified clear blue eyes to his friend. "Jethro..." He said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Oh, Jethro." He shook his head. "I'm so very sorry." And he was. He should have seen this. How could he have not seen this?

It was Abby that got it next, probably do to her science background. It was very easy to come to the only conclusion that could explain Ducky's sorrow, Sarah's fear, and Palmer's nervousness. She took a deep shuddering breath. "Gibbs...Oh, Gibbs..."

Gibbs looked from one to the other, his mind refusing to acknowledge what the the others had come to know. "What!" He asked harshly, needing the words but not sure he wanted to hear them. Before anyone could say anything, he turned abruptly to leave.

It was Sarah who came out of her stupor first. "Wait!" She exclaimed, rushing to Gibbs and grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. "You can't leave!" She couldn't let him go. Tim would want to see him. Tim would want to know that Gibbs had been worried about him. Especially now that everyone knew. If Gibbs left, Tim would see it only as the rejection he had always feared. "Please!"

Gibbs shrugged her hands off. "Watch me!" He couldn't stay. Not now. He couldn't bare to hear words put to what he suddenly was sure he knew. He knew he wasn't acting rationally but he didn't care. He had to get away before...

"But—but Tim's your son!" She exclaimed before he could walk out the door, causing the others to gasp.

Gibbs froze, his hand on the door. He squeezed his eyes closed, his back to the others, shaking his head in denial.

"_Yes." _Sarah insisted, desperate to stop him. She couldn't let him leave. If he left without saying anything to Tim... "Your his father."

"No!" He denied, swinging around. "I am _not_ his father!" He snarled through clenched teeth. "I don't care what you say!" He said, glaring at Sarah. "I don't care what a blood type says!" This time he glared at Ducky and Palmer. "And I don't care what DNA says!" It was Abby's turn to be glared at. "I am _not_ his father!" He snarled again before walking out the door, leaving stunned silence in his wake.

_~NCIS~_


	22. Chapter 22

_DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!_

_~NCIS~_

Gibbs walked so fast he was practically running down the hospital hallway, Sarah's voice in his ears. _'You're his father.' 'You're his father.' 'You're his father.' _It kept repeating over and over again until he wanted to scream out loud. He had to get out of here! Gibbs detoured from the elevator and headed for the stairs, his only wish was to escape. Gibbs was almost at the door to the stairwell when someone grabbed his arm.

"Jethro!" Ducky exclaimed. "Didn't you hear me calling you?" He asked when Gibbs had turned to face him.

"Leave me alone, Duck!" Gibbs tried to shake off the ME's hand.

"Jethro, stop it this instant!"

Gibbs turned on his friend, breathing hard. "He's not my son!"

Ducky just looked at Gibbs sadly, not saying anything.

Gibbs anger burned brighter then ever. "It's impossible!" He hissed.

Ducky shook his head. "The evidence says otherwise." He said quietly.

Gibbs looked at Ducky. His emotions were swirling. He honestly couldn't identify what it was he was feeling. On one hand, he didn't believe it was possible, no matter what the evidence said. On the other hand, all the little things that hadn't made sense before did now, and he still didn't believe himself to be Tim's father, just in a different way.

"Why didn't you know this?" He exclaimed, needing to put blame on someone. "You should have known this! You're our doctor!"

Ducky refrained from asking _how _he was to supposed to have known, when it was apparent that Timothy had obviously changed his medical information. "Timothy has never felt comfortable enough with me in that respect. He has only taken advantage of my medical expertise only when absolutely necessary." He said instead, being reasonable, although it was painfully obvious that Jethro wasn't interested in being reasonable at the moment. "And though many take advantage of having me as their doctor, it is not an actual requirement." He had always wondered why Tim didn't want him to do his annual fitness review. Ducky guessed he had his answer.

_~NCIS~_

Sarah watched the others with apprehension. No one had spoken since Ducky had left to go after Gibbs, and every second that past filled Sarah with more and more uneasiness. Realistically, she knew that, even as mad as they all were, no one would physically hurt her or Tim, but that still didn't stop the uneasiness—or the fear.

Ziva's earth colored eyes roved over everyone. It had come to no surprise to her that Tim McGee was Jethro Gibbs son. She had suspected that for a long time. The clues had been there—for anyone who really wanted to look. It was also no surprise that she was the only one who looked deep enough to find them. She could understand how everyone felt hurt and lied to. She did not no why she did not feel the same. Perhaps it was because of the nature of what they hadn't told. There must be a reason why Tim and Sarah had kept this secret. Now it was only the question of finding it.

Jimmy looked at Tony's face as emotions crossed it. He knew how Tony felt about Tim. He knew that his friend would see this as a betrayal. He also knew that it was very unlikely that Tony would ever forgive Tim. Jimmy felt sad as he came to realize that his had probably ruined their relationship forever. With Tony's trust issues, how could they ever come back from this?

Tony looked from his friend to his friend's little sister. Two people that he knew. Or thought he knew. Two people who were family. Or thought was family. But family didn't do what the McGee brother and sister had done. Everything that Tony knew, had believed in, was falling to pieces around him and he didn't know how to stop it. He had been right all those months ago when he had begged Abby to stop her investigation. He had lost his brother. Without a word to anyone he turned around and walked out.

Sarah watched Tony go but didn't try to stop him. She knew it would do no good. A few seconds later, Jimmy left.

Jimmy glanced at everyone before he walked out behind the senior agent. Tony would need him. It didn't feel right to leave the injured man. He really didn't know why he didn't feel as everyone else did. He just didn't.

_~NCIS~_

"Jethro?" Ducky questioned, wondering what was going on in his friends' head. "If you want, we can take a DNA swab from both of you and Abigail can run them." He hesitated, placing his hand on his friend's arm again. "But I'm sure it will just confirm what we already suspect." He said gently. "You are Timothy's father."

But that apparently was the wrong thing to say because Jethro jerked violently away from his old friend.

"I am _not_ his father!" Gibbs yelled, again.

_~NCIS~_

Abby smiled smugly. She felt vindicated. She knew that she hadn't made a mistake! She knew that Tim and Sarah had been hiding something! Now everyone knew, too. She turned to Sarah, who stood beside Tim's bed.

"I knew it! I knew that you and Tim were hiding something!" Abby crowed.

"Shut up, Abby." Sarah said quietly, still looking at the door that Tony and Jimmy had left through.

"I told Tony that there was something hinky going on with you two!" She continued talking, not paying the slightest bit of attention to Sarah.

"I said shut up!" Sarah's voice was hard now and she spoke through clenched teeth.

Abby opened her mouth to gloat again and Sarah turned on her.

"_SHUT UP!" _She screamed. "_SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"_

Abby's hazel eyes grew wide at her out burst.

_~NCIS~_

"Even if-if Tim is my son, I still wouldn't be his father!" Gibbs exclaimed, but in a softer voice. "I have never done what a father does! I never held him as a baby! I never counted his fingers or toes! I never gave him a bath or smelled his baby smell!" Gibbs remembered doing all that with Kelly. How it felt the first time he had held her. The first time he bathed her. He remembered counting her fingers and toes, playing peek-a-boo and this little piggy. "I wasn't there when he cut his first tooth. I didn't see the first time he walked or hear his first word. I didn't walk him to class on his first day of school." He had fought tooth and nail to be there on Kelly's first day of school. He had wanted to shed the tears of a father whose little girl was growing up as his wife had shed the tears of a mother who was losing her little girl. "I was never there when he was hurt. I never watched him grow or learn. I never taught him _anything_." Gibbs swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump that was suddenly in his throat. "I have never done what a father does." He repeated. "Someone else did those things. I have never been a father to him. Another man is his father." He stared at Ducky with anguished blue eyes. "I'm his boss, Duck. I give out head slaps and harsh words, not hugs and encouragement." He paused. "I'm _not_ his father." He finished in a quiet voice.

Ducky looked at his friend in sympathy. Jethro wasn't even able to say Timothy's name. He knew that it upset his friend, more than it would most men, to find out that he had a grown child he never knew existed. How could it not? To find out that he had missed his chance to be a father, not once but twice had to hurt. To know that even if Timothy was his son, he would never really be his father. It must be tearing him up inside.

_~NCIS~_

"This is all your fault!" Sarah yelled at Abby. "If is wasn't for you and that stupid game, no one would have even noticed anything about Tim's blood type!" She glared at the forensic specialist with furious brown eyes. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" Sarah shook her head angrily. "Why couldn't you just leave it alone?"

"If you two had told the truth from the beginning then this wouldn't have happened!" Abby snapped. She had had enough of being blamed for this! "Did you really think no one would have ever find out?" She asked, the same as Jimmy had. "Please tell me you weren't that naive." She said sarcastically.

"Enough, Abby." Ziva said, taking the other woman's arm. "Come. We are going."

Abby struggled. "No!"

Ziva's fingers clamped down harder on the Goth's arm. "_Yes!" _She said firmly, pushing Abby to the door and out it.

_~NCIS~_

"I've got to go." Gibbs said desperately. "I need—I need..." He didn't know what he really needed. He just knew he had to get out of there. "I need to go, Duck."

Ducky looked at his friend sympatheticly. He knew that Gibbs needed to escape so that he could come to terms with what he had learned in his own way.

"Then go, Jethro." He would check on his friend later.

Gibbs gave Ducky a last, slightly wild look and then disappeared into the stairwell.

Ducky waited a few minutes before he turned toward where the elevator was located and left.


	23. Chapter 23

_ALL I CAN DO IS SAY I'M SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. A LOT OF DRAMA. I HOPE THAT I STILL HAVE SOME READERS._

_I CAN'T THINK EVERYONE ENOUGH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, FAVORITES AND ALERTS. THEY ARE MUCH APPRECIATED. IT ALWAYS SUPRISES ME THAT WHEN I RECEIVE THEM BECAUSE I HONESTLY DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING THAT I WROTE WOULD BE READ AS IT HAS BEEN._

_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT MAY BE FAMILIAR IN THIS STORY. I GIVE CREDIT TO WHOEVER IT DOES BELONG TO._

_CONSTRUSCTIVE CRITISIM APPRECIATED. ANYTHING ELSE IS NOT, SO IF YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NICE, PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL, OKAY?_

_~NCIS~_

After Gibbs finally made his way out of the hospital, instead of getting in his car and heading home to the comfort of his bourbon and his basement, he headed back to the Navy Yard. He needed to see Tim's personnel file. Gibbs wasn't sure what he expected to find but he knew he needed to go through and discover whatever else his…son…might be hiding from him.

~_NCIS~_

After leaving the hospital, Jimmy followed Tony back to his apartment, stopping to pick up a pizza and some beer along the way. He knew that his friend probably wouldn't feel like eating but he also knew that he needed to. When he made it to the senior field agent's apartment he hesitated before knocking, uncertain of his welcome.

When Tony answered the door, all he did was look at Jimmy and then he stood back for Jimmy to enter, not saying a word. While Jimmy headed into the living room and deposited his burdens on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch, Tony disappeared into the kitchen, coming back with plates and a stack of napkins. The two men settled back, Tony on his couch and Jimmy in a chair, and ate, the silence between the assistant M.E. and the special agent growing. Finally Jimmy couldn't stand it anymore.

"We all have secrets, Tony." Jimmy said into the silence. "We all have things, that for whatever reasons, we don't want anyone else to know." He absently rubbed a finger down his chair. "Things that might embarrass us or things that we think are shameful. Sometimes we aren't really sure why we hide the things we do. Just that we have to." Jimmy paused to take a drink of his beer and to give a minute for his words to sink in. "Tim keeping his parentage a secret doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean he doesn't trust you. It just means he couldn't tell you."

"But _why_ couldn't he tell me?" Tony cried, jumping up from where he sat and starting to pace.

"I don't know why he couldn't, Tony." Jimmy said, watching him walk back and forth. "That's something you'll have to ask Tim." Jimmy wondered the same thing. He had watched the two agents this past year and a half. He'd watched as they had grown closer, becoming more like brothers instead of just co-workers. He knew that Tony would have kept the secret because Tony had kept his secrets. None as potentially explosive as Tim's, of course, but still things he had only ever shared with his friend. Jimmy watched as a myriad of emotions crossed his friend's face. "Just be glad that you will get the chance to ask him why." He pointed out quietly. "It could have easily been worse than it was."

Tony stopped in mid-pace, guilt crossing his face. "Oh, no," he said, horrified. "I left Sarah there by herself!" He swung to face Jimmy. "Please tell me that Ziva is still there!"

Jimmy shook his head regretfully. "She called before I got here. There was a problem with Abby and Ziva took her home."

Tony groaned. "I've got to get back to the hospital!" He quickly moved to pick up his wallet and keys on the table beside the door.

His hand was on the doorknob when Jimmy's voice stopped him. "Uh, Tony. Aren't you forgetting something?"

Tony turned back impatiently. "Come on, Jimmy, we've got to get back to Sarah and Tim!"

Jimmy smirked at his friend. "Yeah, I know, but shouldn't you at least put some pants on first?"

Tony looked down at himself, stunned. He'd forgotten that he had changed out of his suit when he'd got to his apartment and all he wore was his red boxer briefs and his white tank top undershirt.

_~NCIS~_

After Ziva dragged Abby from the room, Sarah forced herself to calm down. She could see Tim moving on the bed and if he did happen to wake before the Doctor said he would, she didn't want him to worry about her.

"Sa'ah?"

Sarah moved quickly to his bedside, picking up his hand and cradling it in both of hers. "I'm here, Tim." She said quietly.

Tim pried his eyes open and glanced around. "G'bbs?"

"He was here." She said, not going into details. "They all were." Tears pooled in her brown eyes.

Tim nodded. " G' t' w'rk?"

Sarah gave a non-committal reply, her tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I's n'ce, is't it?" He slurred, grass green eyes closing.

Sarah gently pulled a hand from his to wipe her eyes. "What is, Tim?" She asked, her voice thick.

"N't bein' 'lone a'ymo'e." He managed to get out.

Tears pooled in her chocolate brown eyes again and Sarah cleared her throat, trying to get the lump there to go down.

"Ne'va had a'y'ne 'fore." He slurred.

"Go to sleep, Tim." _Please._ She begged silently. _Please go to sleep! _She couldn't take much more of this.

"Now we have a dad," His voice was starting to get stronger and Tim wasn't slurring his anymore. "Brothers, a sister." He trailed off. "F'ml'y." He mumbled after a moment. "We have a family." It had taken a long time for Tim to trust his father and team, but sometime over the last year and a half he had come to accept that they really did mean what they had said, what their actions were saying.

"Yeah, Tim." Sarah managed to push out, tears spilling again. "We have a family, now." She whispered to him, her heart breaking.

Tim opened his green eyes back up when he heard the strain in his sister's voice. "Why cry, Sarah?" He asked, raising one hand and wiping down one cheek.

Sarah forced a smile. "I'm just so happy you're okay." She knew she would have to tell him but she just couldn't do it now. He was happy. She couldn't take that away from him. Not now. He would have to learn the truth soon enough. She would let him have this one day. "Go to sleep, Tim. You need your rest." She watched as his eyes fluttered closed and his breathing evened out. Just before he succumbed to the oblivion of sleep just leaned close and whispered a quiet, "I love you, Tim," In his ear.

_~NCIS~_

Ducky let himself into Gibbs house a just a few short hours after leaving the hospital. He was worried about his friend. Jethro hadn't taken the news at all well. Ducky was quite surprised to find his old friend in his living room sitting on his green couch, a file spread out before him on the coffee table.

"Jethro?" He inquired softly.

Gibbs looked up at his friend, not shocked to see him there. "Celia Spencer McGee." Jethro said out of nowhere. "That's his mother's name, Duck." He looked at his friend with ice blue eyes. "I have no knowledge of that woman. That name doesn't spark even an ember of memory."

Ducky walked further into the room. "Perhaps she is not his birth mother, Jethro." He pointed out. "Timothy could be adopted."

Gibbs sat up. "Maybe." Gibbs shook his head. "But I don't think so." He sorted through the pages of Tim's personnel file. "It doesn't say anything about being adopted in here, for one thing." He looked back at Ducky. "And how did he find out about me if he is adopted, for another." He paused as a picture of Sarah flashed through his mind. "And…" He trailed off.

"And?" Ducky prompted when he didn't continue.

"Sarah's familiar to me." He said reluctantly. "She always has been I just couldn't place her."

"She favors her mother." Ducky said, finally taking a seat. "That is what Timothy and Sarah has said on numerous occasions.

Gibbs nodded.

"Then you do remember her."

"No!" He denied swiftly. "Yes." He said, running his hand through his silver hair, frustrated. "I remember their mother—maybe—but I do _not_ remember Celia Spencer."

Ducky arched an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I understand."

Gibbs growled in frustration. His friend picked the perfect time to act the doddering old man!

Gibbs blew out an impatient breath. "He lied, Duck." Ice blue eyes met sky blue ones. "Who lies about their mother's name?"

Ducky settled back into his chair. "Someone that is afraid. Someone that fears other's reactions." Ducky shrugged his shoulders. "Someone who feels he has something he must hide." Ducky shook his head. "I don't know why Timothy has done what he did, that is something that you will have to ask Timothy. But I do know that he must have a very good reason."

"What reason could justify lying about almost everything on his resume and application?"

The eyebrow went higher. "There's more?"

Gibbs nodded, pointing to one of the first pages laid out on the coffee table. "There is no way that birthday is right! I was seventeen!" Gibbs said, agitated. "For that to be right I would have had to—" Gibbs clamped his mouth shut, his cheeks ruddy.

Ducky had never seen his friend blush before. He hadn't even thought it possible, actually. He would have found it amusing if the situation hadn't been so serious. "Timothy's lied about his age, as well, I take it."

"Ya' think, Duck!" Gibbs snapped back quickly.

"Jethro." Ducky quietly admonished.

Gibbs took in a deep breath and blew it out, trying to calm his anger. "His truth is so much a part of the man I thought I knew." He said, trying to explain something he wasn't quite able to understand himself. "He is incapable of lying." Gibbs turned to his friend. "I said that. Hell, I believed that."

"We all believed that, Jethro."

Gibbs ran a hand wearily down his face. "I don't even know who he is anymore." Gibbs felt so tired. "What kind of person lies about their mother's name?" He asked again. "What does it say about a person who lies about their mother's name, about when they were born?"

Ducky didn't have an answer to give his friend that he hadn't given already so he just remained silent.

"I…" Gibbs hesitated. "I never had any more children after Kelly." Gibbs said, surprising Ducky, because the younger man never talked about his daughter or his first wife. "There were other women after Shannon. Other _wives_." Gibbs shook his head. "But not anymore children." He looked his old friend in the eyes. "Did you ever wonder why?"

Ducky shook his head. "No, I never really gave it much thought." He informed the Team Leader. "I just figured the opportunity never presented itself."

Gibbs leaned back on his couch, ice blue eyes on the ceiling. "I never wanted anymore." He said in the stillness of his living room. "The women didn't bother me. I knew that no one could ever mean to me what Shannon does, but children?" He shook his head. "I couldn't even face the possibility of failing another child." Gibbs kept his eyes on the ceiling, unable to look at his friend as he admitted his greatest fear. The only thing he had ever really been afraid of.

_~NCIS~_

"I knew something was going on with Sarah and Tim." Abby repeated once again when they were in Ziva's mini.

"Be that as it may, Abby," Ziva gritted out, her anger at the older woman still palpable. "That was not the right time to argue about it." Ziva pulled out of the hospital parking lot, heading toward the other woman's apartment.

"But—But—" Abby sputtered.

"There are no buts." Ziva cut in. "There is a time and a place for that kind of conversation." Ziva said insistently. "And a hospital room, just after your friend has come back from surgery after being stabbed in the back is not it!" She exclaimed disapprovingly.

Abby slumped down in her seat. She knew Ziva was right, but she just wasn't ready to let it go. "But I was right." She said stubbornly.

"It wasn't about you being right, Abby!" Ziva snapped angrily, slamming her fist on the steering wheel. "It was about you making a bad situation worse!"

Abby just crossed her arms mulishly and refused to say anything else the rest of the way to her apartment.

_~NCIS~_

_THANKS FOR READING! HOPE NO ONE'S DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS CHAPTER._

_NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE UP IN TWO WEEKS. (I'M WITHOUT INTERNET AT THE MOMENT AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO BE SOMEWHERE WITH IT UNTIL TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY.)_


End file.
